


A Yu-Gi-Oh! Horror Movie

by WingsofLight



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blood and Gore, Explicit Language, Horror, M/M, Oral Sex, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 66,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24499657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingsofLight/pseuds/WingsofLight
Summary: When a famous American horror director comes to Domino, Joey is beside himself with excitement. Yugi is far less thrilled. He's even less thrilled when Joey's impulsiveness manages to land the both of them as Erica Lynch's brand-new stars.How is Yugi going to handle this?And why are there so many real-life deaths?I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything affiliated with it. It is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Toei, Shueisha, Konami, etc. I make no money from writing these stories.
Relationships: Prideshipping (background), Wishshipping
Comments: 24
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

“Holy shit!”

Startled, Yugi dropped the plate he’d been drying. It shattered on the tiles of the kitchen floor, but he paid no mind, already running to the living room before the shards had finished sliding in all directions. Dropping the dish towel in the hallway as he ran, he darted into the living room.

“Joey, what’s wrong?!”

Joey looked up over the back of the couch with a grin. Yugi could just see the top of his laptop on the coffee table in front of him. At what had to be a look of minor panic on Yugi’s face, Joey’s grin faded. 

“What’s the matter?”

“Me? You shouted! What happened, are you hurt?”

Joey’s gleeful look had completely changed to dismay. “Oh, no, Yug’. I just… saw something… neat.”

Yugi let his breath out, his heart beginning to return to a normal rhythm after the short burst of adrenaline brought about by fright. He ran a hand through his hair and put his other hand on his hip. “I dropped a plate! *What* is such huge news?”

Looking embarrassed, Joey pointed to the screen of his laptop. “Um. Erica Lynch is coming to Domino.”

Joey had shouted like he’d broken his arm, and all he’d done was read something off the internet? Sometimes he really could be a spaz. Yugi frowned, now a bit annoyed. “Who?”

Joey’s apologetic expression was reversing back to his ecstatic expression. Grinning broadly, he settled back against the backrest of the couch, still looking at Yugi over it. “Erica Lynch! The filmmaker.”

Yugi gave Joey an impatient stare. “The horror movie films?”

Joey nodded excitedly. He was a huge fan of horror movies, especially a series of ultra-gory films that had been coming out once a year for the last five years. Yugi forgot the series title, because he didn’t like them himself. He watched them with Joey to share in something the blonde enjoyed, but every time, he ended up with his face in Joey’s shoulder, cringing and nauseous. 

“Yeah, her. She’s coming to Domino! Look, she’s having a casting call downtown this Saturday!” Joey turned back to the computer. “Open auditions. Wow, I’m there. I’m totally going to go down and watch. Maybe I’ll get her autograph!”

Joey was immersed in musing out loud about Erica Lynch coming to Domino. Yugi turned and went back into the kitchen, picking up the dish towel on the way. He shook it out, threw it on the counter, then went to the pantry to pull out the broom and dust pan. He set the pan on the floor and started to sweep up the shards of ceramic when Joey’s hand grabbed the top of the broom handle and held on. Yugi looked up to see Joey behind him, his face apologetic again.

“Let me get that, it’s my fault.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got it.”

Joey slowly let go of the broom. As he stepped back and leaned against the counter with his arms folded, Yugi swept up the shards of ceramic and put them into the pan. He emptied the pan into the trash and then put pan and broom back into the pantry. When he turned back to the sink and the drainer full of dishes, he smiled at Joey.

“Okay. Tell me about Erica Lynch.”

Joey grinned broadly. “She’s only the greatest horror director of the time! She’s won tons of awards. Her films are real high-tech, win all the Scream Awards every year, and she even got a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards last year. And she’s really neat, real weird in the way she does stuff.”

“What do you mean?” Yugi asked, grabbing another plate and the towel and going back to drying. 

“She never hires anyone that anyone would know. No big name stars, or typical B-horror film stars. She goes to cities and hires people right off the street, after they pass her auditions.”

“That’s not too unusual, is it? Actors have to get their start somewhere.”

“Yeah, but she only uses people one time. After they make their movie, they’re never in anything ever again. She says she never uses an actor twice. It’s her thing. And it’s always a huge success. Her movies are always top rated.”

Yugi smiled, drying another plate and a cup. “What’s the movie this time?”

Joey shrugged his shoulders. “No one knows. No one’s sure if it’s going to be another Deathstrike film, or if she’s doing something new. There’s zero news, it’s all real hush-hush. All of her fans are real excited. So, will you come with me?”

“Where? To the thing downtown?”

“Yeah. It’s Saturday at two. She’ll show up and promote this new movie--”

“A new movie not even made?”

“Not even cast,” Joey said with another grin. “Anyway, she’ll be promoting it, tell us whether it’s a new project or another Deathstrike--”

“How many will that make?”

Joey waved his hand impatiently. “Six. So? They’re great! They’re not just some stupid chophouse films where the entire movie is people getting their limbs hacked off and their teeth torn out--”

“But they are about that,” Yugi said. “It’s why I’m hiding in your shoulder after every movie.”

Joey flashed a brief suggestive smirk, but went on about the movies. “They are, but that’s not all they’re about! They have great plot. You just don’t know that ‘cause the first death has you hiding in my lap, like you said.”

“I said your shoulder, not your lap.”

“Anyway, she’s going to be there, telling us more about her new movie, maybe sign some autographs, maybe even hire some actors for it right there! Will you come with me?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks, Yug’!” 

Yugi put up the last of the dishes and hung up the towel. As soon as he had done that, he started making more dishes to clean as he set about making dinner. Joey had gone back to the living room to finish reading whatever he’d been reading about the upcoming promotion. Shaking his head at the popular fixation on gory kill-films, Yugi set about making the lasagna and salad dinner he’d been planning. As he was sliding the pre-made lasagna into the oven, he heard the dryer timer go off.

“Joey, laundry!”

As he starting cutting tomatoes for the salad, he heard Joey walk into the laundry room annex off the kitchen. “The movie’s supposed to be out in March,” he said over the sound of the dryer door opening. 

“It’s already October.”

“Yeah. They film ‘em starting right around Halloween, and they’re usually out in theaters like five months later. I guess it would go faster without a lot of big-name actor negotiations and schedule arranging and all that stuff, right?”

Yugi moved on to the red onions. “I guess. Doesn’t seem like a very good horror movie month, March.”

“Everyone does October,” Joey said dismissively. “This gives us horror buffs a mid-year horror thrill.”

Joey appeared in the doorway of the annex, holding one of his shirts that he was fitting onto a hangar. Hanging it up on the top frame of the door, he grinned around the shirt. 

“I can’t wait to see her,” he said.

Yugi looked pointedly at the calendar thumb-tacked to the wall beside the microwave, waving the knife he’d now been using to slice a cucumber. “Joey, it’s only Wednesday.”

“I know,” Joey complained, a second and third shirt joining the first. 

Shaking his head, Yugi scraped the diced tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers he’d sliced into a bowl. He put plastic wrap over it and the bowl containing the lettuce, and popped both into the refrigerator before glancing at the pot in which a few eggs boiled. Beside it, a second pot held green beans waiting to start heating. 

“I wonder if she’d sign my DVD cover of the first Deathstrike?” Joey said musingly as he hung up two pairs of pants. 

“Is she nice?”

“I don’t know. She seems real happy and friendly in her TV interviews. She’s always joking with the announcer.”

“Well, take it along and see.”

“I wonder if anyone we know will get cast in the movie? Since she’d here in Domino, she’ll pick her entire cast from the city. She does that every time; doesn’t leave a city until the whole movie is cast from locals, even if it takes a week of promotions.”

“That’s odd.”

“Yeah, I know. I bet a thousand people show up.”

“Is she that popular?”

Joey gave him an exasperated look. “As big as Duel Monsters. Especially ‘cause of the whole Deathstrike curse.”

Yugi frowned, turning the green beans on low heat and then pouring a package of raspberry tea mix into a pitcher and holding the pitcher under the faucet. “What’s that?”

“Every Deathstrike movie’s had some sort of tragedy attached to it. On set, after filming, something. With the first one, one of the actors committed suicide right after.” 

“That’s horrible.” Yugi turned the burner off from under the boiled eggs with his free hand while he set the full pitcher of raspberry tea on the counter with the other. He started to stir it with a long wooden pitcher spoon. “But why is that a curse?” 

Joey’s expression grew solemn in a way that said he was setting the mood. As Yugi finished stirring the raspberry tea, Joey suddenly pulled open the utility drawer and drew out the flashlight kept inside. With his other hand, he flicked the laundry room-side switch to turn off the kitchen lights, plunging the room into darkness that was broken only by lamp glow from the street at the front of the apartment. The flashlight flicked on and Joey held it under his chin, illuminating his features in the classic, warping manner of a scary storyteller. 

“Brandon Taylor, first Deathstrike movie back in 2005, his character got his throat cut halfway into the film. Two days later, his mom found him in his apartment, throat slit ear to ear and the steak knife in his hand. He was sittin’ on the couch, the TV was on, and there was a bowl of cold popcorn on the coffee table, like he’d sat down to watch a movie and offed himself halfway through.”

“Joey, that’s horrible!”

Joey’s voice lowered to take on a creepy pitch, like he was actually telling a horror story. “Deathstrike II, 2006, Katie Mackey, the female lead, went missing. Totally disappeared. No one ever saw her leave the set after a night of filming, and she’s never been found since.”

“Joey…”

“Deathstrike III, the next year, 2007, Yuriko Watanabe, gets strung up by the killer, and while they were filming, she slipped off the scaffolding and actually got hung. Broke her neck, right on camera.”

“They took they out, didn’t they?” Yugi was starting to feel a bit queasy.

Joey didn’t answer. “The fourth Deathstrike, in 2008, one of the set crew, don’t remember his name, he got crushed to death when a runaway car jumped the curb and smashed him against the brick wall of a building downtown in St. Louis, in America, where they were filming.”

“Isn’t that enough? I get the point.”

His voice taking on a tone of relish, Joey plowed on. He was walking closer to Yugi, his voice lowering to a very low, threatening pitch. “Deathstrike V, the next year, 2009, Usagi Shimatani, the slutty chick in the film, found out her boyfriend was cheatin’ on her while she was filming. She went to his house after the wrap party and murdered him before killing herself. When the police found them, she’d slashed herself with the knife like a hundred times and bled to death, but not before she stabbed him right through his cheatin’ heart and cut off his dick besides.”

“JOEY!” 

The flashlight flicked off. The sudden darkness dazzled Yugi’s eyes once more.

“Okay, that’s enough, turn the lights back on.”

Silence.

“Joey, this isn’t funny.” 

Yugi turned to reach for the second kitchen light switch panel that was on the wall beside the hallway entrance. In the dark, his back turned, he didn’t see the movement. Joey grabbed him with a loud, creepy laugh. Yugi screamed, then struggled in Joey’s grip with a few muttered curses. Still holding onto him with one arm, Joey flicked the hall-side switch to turn the kitchen lights back on. He was laughing uproariously. 

Yugi twisted out of his grip and rounded on him. “That was mean! That stuff isn’t funny, it’s horrible!”

“Of course it is. But it puts you right in the mood for a horror movie. It is October, ya know. Halloween’s right around the corner.”

Yugi straightened his twisted shirt. “Did you have to tell me all that stuff right before dinner?”

Joey raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah. Lasagna, with all that sauce that’s all thick… and red…”

Yugi huffed in exasperation and disgust and left the kitchen as Joey laughed. Out in the living room, he saw that Joey had left his laptop on, and it was still tuned to the Erica Lynch fansite. The screen didn’t go to screen saver until about twenty minutes after he left it idle, because he frequently sat and read horror and fantasy E-books and fan fiction and didn’t like to be interrupted with the scrolling graphics.

The header to the website faded from mauve to lilac from bottom to top and across it ran black, Gothic-style letters spelling out Erica Lynch: Queen of Gore. Below that and also center on the screen was the movie poster for the first Deathstrike film, featuring a buxom twenty-something girl in a halter top and jean shorts putting her hands up defensively to ward off whatever was off screen on the left that cast a menacing shadow on the floor before her. Her face held an expression that was the definition of terror. Above the poster, in neon-green letters, read the legend: “The movie that started a phenomenon of horror!”

Yugi sat on the couch and used the mouse to scroll down. Below the picture was a short bio of Erica Lynch, giving her age as fifty-two, her career as containing twenty-four major motion pictures, two short films, and a documentary of a fellow horror director, now deceased. It listed her birthplace as Eerie, Indiana, which seemed appropriate, and degrees in photography, film, and, oddly, biology from two colleges in Indiana. She was the mother of twin adult boys, a stepson, and a stepdaughter. She’d been married four times, and divorced four times. Yugi wondered if that was because of her constant immersion in depravity. 

Below, in clickable thumbnails, in a triple row of eight, were the posters to every Lynch horror movie, from all five current Deathstrikes to a lovely trilogy entitled “Gut Ripper” to a stand alone movie featuring a hung man dangling from a dead-looking tree entitled “Town of Death.” Beneath the man and to the front right corner was a population sign that had 2,045 crossed off and 2,044 written in what looked like blood beneath it. Yugi studied the picture of Town of Death with distaste, disturbed by how realistic the hanged man looked. His face was swollen and purple, his tongue hanging out of his sagging mouth, his eyes bulging and rolled up towards the back of his head. 

“Looks real, don’t it?”

Yugi jumped, then whirled to glare at Joey, who was standing behind the couch. Joey held up his hands.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it that time!”

“How can you like this stuff?” Yugi asked, gesturing to the picture of Town of Death.

“It’s just fiction, Yug’. Fake.” Joey rounded the couch and sat down beside him, clicking the next button in the slideshow of posters to reveal “Nails and Hacksaws.” It looked like an older film, but featured a woman in a torn and bloody negligee crucified to a wall by nails run through her hands. A hacksaw lay sideways in a pool of blood beneath her left leg, which ended in a ragged stump. The other half of the leg lay at an angle to the saw. “Just entertainment,” Joey added casually.

“Entertainment?” Yugi wrinkled his nose at the Hacksaw poster and clicked next automatically to navigate away from the it, only to land on the next in line, the poster for Deathstrike II. On the poster was a very pretty, very young-looking girl with her hair in a brown ponytail and wearing a nightgown, sitting up in bed against the headboard, clutching a pillow to her chest while she stared at the viewer with a look of haunted fear on her face. Her hazel eyes were wide and her mouth hung partially open as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing coming at her from the angle of the viewer. “Is that Katie Macklin?”

“Mackey. Yeah, that’s her.” Joey tapped the screen lightly with his finger. “She disappeared right after the fifth day of filming. Erica said they didn’t even get to finish her part, had to rewrite the film.”

Yugi stared at the terrified face of Karen Mackey and felt dread weigh in his chest. He guessed it had to do with looking at the photo of a girl who would, not long after it was taken, disappear without a trace. “That’s not entertainment,” he said. “That’s being morbid.”

“Yeah,” Joey agreed. He glanced at Yugi, then moved the mouse and clicked the X button, turning off the internet browser. “You’re still coming with me, aren’t you?”

Yugi sighed and nodded. “I promised.”

Joey grinned, shutting off the laptop and flipping the lid closed. “Thanks, Yug’.” Another lizard grin spread across his face and he said in the same creepy tone from the kitchen, “You won’t regret it. Or will you?”

Yugi shoved him and got to his feet. “Sometimes, Joey, I don’t know what I see in you.”

Joey laughed, pushing himself upright. “It’s these babies.” He pushed back his sleeve and flexed his arm, making the biceps bulge. 

Yugi laughed and shook his head, returning to the kitchen to finish making dinner. Hanging from the frame of the laundry room annex was a neat row of shirts and pants belonging to both of them, and on the floor beside the wall was the washing basket full of neatly folded bath towels, washcloths, dishcloths, and dishtowels. He smiled and picked up the spoon to stir the green beans that were simmering in another pot. 

“Hey, Spiky, you’re not mad at me, are you?”

Joey had snuck up on him again, but this time Yugi didn’t jump, just standing still as Joey wound his arms around his waist and kissed the top of his head. 

“No.”

“’Cause I was being a jerk before.”

“Yes.”

“Hey!”

“You said it, not me.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to agree! Where’s the sweet guy I fell in love with, who’d assure me I’m the best guy in the world?”

“Cowering in the corner of my mind after all that, so Mean Yugi took over.”

“Aww, man. I hate Mean Yugi. He’s mean to me.”

“Gee, I wonder why?” 

“Will Nice Yugi come back for dessert?” Joey asked with a suggestive, and hopeful, note in his voice.

“Maybe, if you behave during dinner and not gross him out with more stories of people offing themselves over a bowl of popcorn.”

Joey laughed, kissed Yugi on the top of the head again, then let him go and went to the cabinets to start setting the table. Yugi turned the burner off from under the green beans, drained them and put them into a bowl, peeled and sliced the boiled eggs, then transferred the beans, the salad and its fixings, and the raspberry tea to the table. By the time the table was set and everything else on it, the lasagna was done. It would cool by the time they finished with the salad, so he put on the oven mitts and transferred it to the pan mats on the center of the table. 

“Tristan likes those Deathstrike movies, doesn’t he?” Yugi asked as he speared a cucumber in his salad bowl.

Joey looked up in surprise, since it was Yugi who had brought up the topic of horror at the dinner table. “Yeah, he does. I like seeing ‘em with you, though. You’re more fun to hold.”

Yugi rolled his eyes. “Would he like to go with us on Saturday?”

“I dunno, I can ask. Tea, too. Think Yami’ll go?”

“He and Kaiba won’t be back yet.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Yugi’s other half had been lovers with Seto Kaiba for a year, and Kaiba had taken the former pharaoh to Bermuda for their anniversary, a move that had shocked Joey thoroughly for how romantic it was. They had left the previous Monday, a week before their anniversary, and wouldn’t return until next Monday, a week afterward. Yugi had no need of postcards to know that Yami was having a fun time, no less because he was amusing himself trying to talk Kaiba into wearing swim trunks and sandals to the beach. The stuffy brunette, who had actually gone without a single electronic device on which to monitor Kaiba Corp save for an emergency cell phone, was still adamantly wearing his throat-to-ankles wardrobe, even in the middle of the Caribbean sun. 

“What’s he hiding?” Joey had once asked Yami teasingly when the young billionaire had shown up to a social porch dinner on a terrible scorcher still dressed in head-to-toe black. “Seven toes? Nasty, hairy warts? A tail?”

“Seto’s body is quite perfect, actually,” Yami had replied, a calculated answer to make Joey recoil. 

“Ugh. Come on, Yami, spill. Is it a third nipple? No belly button? He’s an alien, isn’t he? Robot?”

“Wheeler, if you stop barking right now, I’ll balance a treat on your nose,” Kaiba had said coldly, having come up on the conversation behind the blonde. 

Joey had jumped, but whirled around. What followed had been such a commonplace pissing match between the two that Yugi and Yami had moved away and started a different conversation. 

“Yami got Kaiba in sandals yet?” Joey asked, almost following Yugi’s train of thought himself. 

“No.”

“He’s got to be hiding a tail or something,” Joey said with a grin. 

“Maybe he’s body shy.”

Joey almost inhaled his tomato. “Kaiba? That punk hasn’t been shy about anything in his life, and what’s he got to be shy about?” At Yugi’s raised eyebrows, he looked horrorstruck. “Ugh! I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Yes, you did!” Yugi said with delight. “Joey, are you harboring fantasies about Kaiba?”

“No! No way!” 

“Is *that* why you were talking in your sleep last night?” Yugi pressed, thoroughly enjoying messing with Joey as payback for earlier. Joey often talked in his sleep, and sometimes he was intelligible and sometimes he wasn’t. “I couldn’t understand you. Were you asking Kaiba for more?”

Joey gave him a dirty look, balled up his napkin and threw it at him. Yugi caught it, laughing. Joey speared a piece of boiled egg ferociously. Taking it off his fork so hard that the metal shushed against his teeth with the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath, he said, “Hell, no.”

Yugi laughed, but eased off. Finished with his salad, he set his bowl aside and served himself some lasagna and green beans. Joey calmed down by the time he’d finished his own salad and tucked into the lasagna with enthusiasm. They lapsed into pleasant chatter about a favorite restaurant they might visit later in the week until dinner was over.

“Mean Yug’s been mean to me long enough,” Joey said as they were putting away the leftovers and stacking the dirty dishes in the sink. “It’s time for Nice Yug’ again.”

“Have you earned it?” Yugi asked.

Joey rested his hands on Yugi’s hips as he leaned against the counter, his own body pressing tightly up against Yugi’s. Looking down at him, he smiled. “Nice Yug’ can’t stay away for long,” he said. “Especially when *I* know all his favorite spots.”

He darted in and started on the lobe of Yugi’s left ear that was always a major erogenous zone. Yugi arched into him, hands on his shoulders, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He moaned as Joey suckled lightly on his earlobe, his hands squeezing his hips while his own rocked side to side, slowly rubbing against him. His knee pressed forward and he slid his leg between Yugi’s thighs. 

“Mmm…”

Joey’s teeth gently grazed his earlobe, sending a tingle through Yugi. His hands moved from hips to Yugi’s butt, cupping and kneading lightly as he pulled Yugi against his thigh. The friction and pressure against his balls made Yugi mewl. He was growing rapidly hard, the air in the kitchen suddenly too stuffy as Joey eased him back again, his body already tingling lightly from the three-pronged attack. 

“Joey…”

Joey raised his head and kissed Yugi full on the mouth, tongue flicking against his lips before invading. He pulled Yugi forward again, swallowing his cry. His hands came forward to undo the belt, button, and zipper of his pants, pushing them open a little over his boxer-clad erection. His shirt was half untucked, lips already kiss bruised. 

“You know,” Joey said abruptly, pulling back with a wicked grin. “Mean Yugi didn’t earn nothing. He was mean to me. You know, there’s ice cream in the fridge. That’s fine for dessert.”

Yugi stared at Joey as the blonde walked across the kitchen to the refrigerator, still grinning at him over his shoulder. Glaring, Yugi pushed away from the counter. Joey laughed and ran from the kitchen. Yugi gave chase, having to hold up his pants with one hand. They pounded up the stairs to the bedroom, where Joey turned and caught Yugi as he jumped on him, tumbling in a controlled fall into bed with Yugi on top. 

“Okay, okay. If Mean Yug’s got to have it--”

“Shut up!” Yugi kissed Joey hungrily, grinding pointedly against the erection he’d known would be there. Joey’s moan vibrated against his lips. 

The phone ringing made them both jump and their foreheads clacked together. Yugi winced, rolling off of Joey and rubbing his forehead as he reached for the phone.

“Who the hell is calling at this hour?” Joey demanded angrily, rubbing his own forehead. Though it was only eight o‘clock, it was far too late for a sales call. “Let me answer it.”

Knowing that Joey would answer with a string of obscenities, Yugi picked up the phone and raised it to his ear. “Hello?”

Silence.

“Hello?”

Silence, then a soft shushing sound. Breathing, it sounded like.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

“Who is it, Yug’?”

More breathing. Yugi sat up, frowning. 

“Who is this?”

“Give me the phone, Yug’.”

There was a click, and a pause, and then the dial tone. Yugi slowly hung up, then stared at the phone. Joey, laying on his side beside him, looked up into his face.

“Who was it?”

“A wrong number, I guess.”

“What’d they say?”

“Noth--”

The phone rang again. Yugi picked it up. “Hello?”

More silence. Then breathing.

“Who is this?”

Breathing. Then, a soft, menacing laughter. 

The hair on Yugi’s nape stood on end. “Is this some idea of a joke?”

“Give me the phone.” Joey sat up and jerked it out of his hand and raised it to his ear. “Hel--”

He didn’t even finish the word before the caller hung up, judging by his expression. He leaned over Yugi and set it back in the cradle.

“What did they say?”

“Nothing. It was just silence. Well, and they laughed.”

“Laughed?”

“Yeah, like… “ Yugi did his best to imitate the threatening laughter. 

“What the fuck?”

“It must have been a prank. It’s weird, though, coming after you told me all those stories about the Deathstrike curse.” Suddenly suspicious, Yugi frowned at him. “You aren’t playing a prank on me, are you? That wasn’t Tristan, was it?”

“No way.” Joey held up his hands. “Come on, Yugi, I might mess with you, but I ain’t an asshole.”

The phone rang again. Furious, Joey nearly flattened Yugi reaching for it. He snatched it up. “Listen, you motherfucker--”

“Joey!”

“If you call here threatenin’ my boyfriend again, I’ll--” He stopped in mid-sentence, glared, then slammed the phone down. “Hung up again.”

“This is weird,” Yugi said. All the hair on his arms was standing up, and he rubbed them both to try to get it to lay down again. 

“Don’t worry about it, Yug’. It’s probably some stupid little punk making crank calls. They happen all the time.”

“Yeah, but--”

“Just coincidence it happened after the Deathstrike stuff. Besides, even if it was no coincidence, it’s just some jackass playing around ‘cause there’s a horror movie director comin’ to town. It was online, so it’s no secret.” 

The phone rang again. Joey uttered another oath and snatched up the handset. “Bastard, you fuckin’… Oh…” Face whitening, Joey said in a strangled, mortified voice, “Hi, Serenity.”

Yugi smacked his face into his palm. Never mind that they’d just received a few eerie phone calls, he was asking for it answering like that. Yugi lay down, legs still hanging over the edge, rubbing his face with his hands in agitation while Joey apologized and hemmed and hawed against explaining why he’d answered the phone the way he had. Sighing, Yugi sat up, ducked under the phone cord, and padded into the bathroom for a shower. His arousal had faded completely now. 

Undressing, he stepped beneath the warm spray and shampooed his hair. Letting it rinse out, he stared through the misty air at the ceiling, wondering who had called and why. 

What did they want?

tbc...

A/N: Another work on FF that's being added here. However, it's WIP, so its updates will be slower. I suggest notifications if you can.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

Yugi sighed as he and Joey pushed through the crowd gathered inside the courtyard of Domino Grand Hotel, where Erica Lynch would soon be arriving. This had turned into a weird festival of sorts, with hundreds of people walking around with DVDs, T-shirts, necklaces, bracelets, and even some masks based off of Erica Lynch’s movies. There were vendors selling such memorabilia along with junk food. The people who had turned out ranged both genders, all ages, and all types, though the vast majority were the sort of punk-goth one typically expected with the macabre. In that case, Yugi noted ruefully, he fit in more than Joey, with his spiky tri-colored hair, black clothes, and chains. 

They had arrived an hour ago, when the crowd was still at a manageable size, Joey dragging Yugi around at all the vendors to inspect what they had to offer. He had not bought anything but a couple hotdogs, a salt pretzel, and soda, but he was still excitedly examining all the T-shirts featuring the posters, DVD covers, and signatures of Erica Lynch. He appeared as excited as he ever had been with Duel Monsters.

“Check this out, Yug’!” he said, holding up a man’s ring at yet another vendor’s table. 

“That’s based off of the ring Hayden March wore in Sweet Dreams,” the vendor said.

“Yeah, I know,” Joey said with a grin. “Probably my third favorite movie by her.”

“My fourth,” the vendor said. “Chainsaw Lullaby was better.”

Joey shook his head, but he turned his attention to Yugi, holding the ring so that he could see it. A thick, pewter ring, it featured a chain-link design around the band and on top was a heart with a dagger through it. Rather tame, compared to what Yugi had been expecting. 

“You gonna buy it?” the vendor asked, a trifle impatiently as Joey tried it on. It fit rather well.

Joey, who had been too busy inspecting the ring to have looked at the price tag dangling from it, did so now. His brow wrinkled. “Fifteen dollars?”

“That’s cheap,” the vendor snapped. “My stuff’s at least 10% cheaper than anywhere else. I’ve seen those rings go for twenty-five.”

Joey frowned, but studied the ring. 

“Just buy it if you want it, Joey,” Yugi said. “I haven’t seen any other rings around here.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Besides, how often is Erica Lynch going to be coming to Domino?”

“Just once,” the vendor said, now a bit nicer now that there was a possibility of a sale. “She always does.”

Joey grinned again, setting the ring down so he could reach into his back pocket for his wallet. “Yeah. How cool is it she chose us?”

“Have you seen her before?” 

“Nah. She’s usually in America. Last time she was in Japan, it was Kyoto, and that was too far, then.”

The vendor took Joey’s twenty and reached into his moneybox for a five. “Oh, yeah, that was eleven years ago. You’d’ve been like ten or something.”

“Twelve,” Joey corrected, taking the five. He picked up the ring, tore off the price tag, and slid it onto his middle right finger. 

“Hey, guys, her limo’s down the street!” another Lynch fan said. “Better hurry up and get over there.”

Joey whooped and hurried towards the circular driveway in front of the hotel where the limo would be dropping Erica Lynch off. It was already lined with fans, while a podium had been erected in the middle of the grass space for her to make a speech. Joey grabbed Yugi’s arm to keep him from being lost in the crowd and pulled him along with him as he forced his way to the front. A few people muttered some unkind things to which Yugi apologized, but Joey ignored. He didn’t stop until he’d forced his way right to the front, hauling Yugi along with him. They stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, where they had a good view of the podium from the left front angle. On either side of the podium and behind it were two giant cardboard theater displays. One of Deathstrike I and the other of a movie called Murder Ranch. It featured an empty animal pasture in the foreground, and an ominous ranch house in the background, alongside which was an empty car with its passenger front door hanging open. The sky was dark and cloudy, and the overall tone was abandonment, except for the car, which spoke of someone dragged away.

Yugi shivered.

The limo made an appearance. Jet black, of course, it turned into the circular and cruised slowly along as people cheered and waved and jumped up and down. As it passed along the opposite side of the circular from where Joey and Yugi stood, Yugi tried to see inside, but the windows were tinted black. The limo stopped at the doors to the hotel, where a group of four security guards were keeping the crowd behind barriers. There was the slightest pause, during which the crowd repeatedly cheered and chanted Erica Lynch’s name. Then the back door opened and three people climbed out-- two men and a woman. The people near the hotel went nuts. They pressed against each other, leaning over the barriers, and screamed and cheered.

The woman, mostly blocked from view by the limo, the cardboard cutouts, and her two companions, turned to each side and waved. The limo pulled away and she turned toward the podium, crossing the circular with her companions, and mounted it. Now Yugi got a good look at Erica Lynch.

She was a thin woman of medium height, with thick, wavy hair that was raven black. Her large eyes were the grey of storm clouds and her skin was smooth and lightly tanned. Despite being over fifty, the only wrinkles were crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. Her body was in good shape and she dressed impeccably in a woman’s black pantsuit and a shell-pink blouse. Her face was pretty, with the vestiges of what must have once been breathtaking loveliness. 

“There she is,” Joey breathed next to Yugi. 

“She’s not what I was expecting,” Yugi said.

“What were you expecting?”

“Someone who looked more like Ozzie Osbourne. She looks more like Sharon Stone with black hair.”

Joey laughed. “She used to act before directing. Her first film was Beauty That Kills. She was a knockout then.”

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen!” Erica cried into the microphone. Her voice was robust and cheerful. “Are you ready for more blood?”

The crowd roared in agreement.

“Are you ready for more guts?”

More screams of agreement.

“More horror and terror?”

A third wave of cheering accompanied her question. Erica smiled broadly, pulling the microphone from its stand.

“That’s what I like to hear! Domino City is going to be a great place for horror this year, I can feel it! Do you want to know what this movie’s all about?”

She sounded like any camp counselor gearing kids up for a fun summer. As she waited through the fresh howling from the audience, the two men with her stood on either side of her, unsmiling and dour. They were clearly the twin sons her biography had mentioned. Blond, muscular, freckled, they were identical. They looked like they couldn’t wait for the promotion to be over with.

“It’s a new project,” Erica said. “Sorry, all you Deathstrike fans.”

There was some groaning, but mostly just expectant silence. Erica smiled again. As she spoke, she turned from side to side, speaking to the whole audience. She did not seem like the type to glorify death and dismemberment. 

Her sons did.

“The working title is Massacre Valley, but that could easily change. We need eight stars and about two dozens extras. Will I find them here in Domino?”

The crowd screamed the loudest yet. Erica stepped off the podium, moving around to its front and facing the majority of the crowd. 

“I’ll be searching for the cast for the next two weeks. If you want to be an extra or have a bit part in the film, grab an application from Jake or Logan--” She indicated the two unsmiling twins, “and then show up with it filled out tomorrow at noon, Monday at five, or Tuesday at five here at the hotel. The desk clerk will tell you the right meeting room. As for those eight stars, if you’ve never heard of my process before, I will decide whom I want to audition. There will be no form auditions for those. I will be touring Domino and looking for my next stars myself. Hold your breath-- it might be you!”

Erica turned and put the microphone back as the crowd roared its approval. The filmmaker turned back to the hotel, but did not go inside. Instead, she turned to her left and started to greet her fans while her twins disappeared rudely into the hotel. As a pair of the security guards walked with her, Erica shook hands with no one, but she accepted proffered pads of paper and pens for autographs. There were so many people out that it seemed it would take her forever to reach where Joey and Yugi were standing. At least she had started on their side.

It didn’t take as long as Yugi had thought. Erica signed only a third of what was thrust at her. She smiled and thanked people again and again, but kept a fairly brisk pace. Yugi did not blame her. Joey’s estimate of a thousand strong turnout had probably missed the mark by two or three hundred. 

Joey was shifting excitedly beside Yugi as Erica drew nearer. He and Yugi were right up against the barriers thanks to Joey’s insistent maneuvering and they were being pressed forward by the crowd. If the guy behind Yugi got any closer, he’d have to buy him dinner. 

Erica made it over to them at last. She accepted Joey’s DVD and pen and briskly signed in a large, spiky script. She started to hand it back when she looked him full in the face for the first time. She stopped, her storm-grey eyes moving back and forth over Joey’s face. Joey, who had been reaching for the DVD and pen, stopped too, and looked worried.

“Uh, Ms. Lynch?”

“What’s your name?”

“Joey Wheeler.”

She didn’t seem to recognize him as the Duel Monsters player, but she smiled nonetheless. She was looking at Joey like he was the only person she wanted to see. Then her eyes flicked to Yugi and her smile widened. She looked excited. Still holding the DVD and pen, the items forgotten, she said brightly, “I’ve found my first two stars!”

Joey’s jaw dropped. Yugi knew his own had done the same. As people stood around them in equally shocked silence, Erica stood beaming, as if the pair of them had made her proud.

“Wh-What?” Joey finally stammered.

“Oh, yes! My first two stars, I’m sure of it.”

“But… But we don’t know how to act, we’ve never been in anything before!”

“Are you a fan of mine, or not? That’s how I do it!”

A few people laughed. Joey continued to stare in shock, and Yugi couldn’t get his mouth to work either. Erica transferred the pen in one hand to the other one still holding the DVD, then reached up, briefly holding Joey’s chin. 

“Absolutely, I want you in my movie. You’ve got the blonde good looks perfect for the Adam character. It’s like it was written for you!” 

Joey blushed as Erica released his chin and took a step back, looking him over and nodding to herself. Then she looked at Yugi.

“And you! You’re the most unique person I’ve ever seen! What a cute face you have, and such lovely eyes! I have to have you, too.”

People were starting to whisper the news to each other. In a couple of minutes, nearly everyone was murmuring to each other while they stared at Yugi, Joey, and Erica. Yugi opened his mouth to speak, and nothing came out. Joey was looking around from side to side, and he was starting to grin. He liked attention and he had a healthy sense of self-worth, and it was clear this was beginning to appeal to him. Yugi, who had always hated being the center of attention, wanted to tell Erica that there was no way, but everyone was staring at him. 

“So, will you do it?” Erica asked. “Be warned, I don’t like no.”

Joey was grinning fully now. He clapped his arm around Yugi’s shoulders and announced, “Yeah!”

Yugi looked up at him in horror. He started to protest, but Erica overrode him.

“Great! Excellent! Come here, come here.”

She grabbed the sawhorse barrier in front of Joey and Yugi herself and yanked it away, making an opening for them to walk through. She hooked her arm through Joey’s other, pulling him through the opening of the barrier, and since Joey still had his other arm around Yugi, he was pulled along, too. The security guards were quick in putting the barrier back into place, keeping the rest of the fans back, though no one tried to break through. The whole crowd was still whispering and craning to see. As Erica guided Joey towards the podium from which she’d had her speech, Yugi looked around in self-conscious horror, his mind stuttering as he tried to protest feebly. He was ignored by both Erica and Joey.

“I have terrific news!” Erica said as she grabbed the remote again, let go of Joey, and faced the majority of the crowd before the podium. Joey turned Yugi around to face the same way and Yugi’s voice died in his throat again as he was confronted with hundreds of people staring. “I’ve found my first two stars!” 

The crowd began to cheer. Erica put her hand over the microphone and leaned over to Joey and Yugi.

“What’s your name?” she asked Yugi.

“Yugi Moto,” Yugi squeaked. 

“That sounds familiar. So does Joey Wheeler in fact.”

“We’re--”

“Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler, my two newest stars, ladies and gentlemen!” Erica cried into the microphone. “They’ve agreed to be in the movie!”

Yugi’s protest was again drowned out, this time by a roar from the crowd so loud that it sounded as if a building were falling. He stared out at the crowd and he felt pinned beneath a spotlight, unable to move. Joey was grinning and laughing beside him, arm still around his shoulders, waving with his other hand. Yugi could just stand beside him, shocked and paralyzed. 

They were going to be in the movie.

tbc...


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

Yugi opened the door to their apartment, hanging his keys from the key rack beside the front door. Joey bounded in behind him and immediately made a beeline for the refrigerator. He set his signed DVD cover and the pen on the counter and opened the fridge, grabbing a soda. He snagged the phone off the wall over the counter with his other hand.

“Wait ‘til I tell T about this!” he said cheerfully to Yugi. “Us, being in an Erica Lynch flick!”

Yugi frowned. Joey’s smiled faltered. “Yug’?”

“You’re still going to do it?”

“What do you mean? Yeah, I’m still going to do it! Aren’t you?”

“Joey, I can’t be in a movie!”

Why not? You’ve been in front of cameras loads of times!”

“Yeah, during duels. And the Grand Prix promotions. This is a little different!”

Joey hung up the phone. He set his unopened can of pop on the counter, then came over, putting his arms around Yugi.

“I guess I should have kinda asked you, shouldn’t I? But I was just so excited! Yug’, this is awesome! Please, tell me you’ll do it!”

Yugi looked up at Joey in horror. Joey looked back down at him, his smile pleading. He rubbed Yugi’s back gently. 

“We don’t know how to act,” Yugi said weakly.

“She always takes people off the street, and the movies always turn out awesome. Bet she’ll coach us.”

Yugi bit his lip worriedly. 

“Please, Yug’?”

“Joey…”

“I know you hate cameras and attention, Yug’, but I never understood why. You’re totally awesome, and everyone knows it.”

Yugi flushed and looked down. He didn’t try to explain his fear of the spotlight. “You really think we can do this movie?”

“Yeah! And even if we can’t, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! It’ll be fun.”

Yugi bit his lip again, then smiled and looked up at him. “Okay, Joey. I know how much these movies mean to you. I’ll do it for you.”

Joey grinned broadly. He hugged Yugi tightly and kissed him on the mouth. “Oh, thanks, Yug’! I promise, I’ll do something for you, I owe you one. This is going to be awesome! Ah, I gotta call T!”

He kissed Yugi again, then let him go and grabbed the phone again. Yugi left him in the kitchen to call Tristan while he went out into the living room. He sat down on the couch and picked up the remote, flipping on the TV. As he flipped through the channels, he saw with surprise that the news was running a segment about Erica Lynch and her arrival in Domino. Footage of the promotion earlier at the hotel was being shown, and he saw himself and Joey on the screen, being shown off by Erica at the podium. The newscaster, sitting to the right of the video screen, was talking.

“… and as you can see here, local game legends Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler, of Duel Monsters fame, have been selected to star in the famous filmmaker’s latest horror flick. Erica Lynch is famous for choosing people she meets on the streets to star in her movies, most of whom have never before acted in any productions and are never seen in movies again. She is also famous for the string of bizarre and tragic deaths accompanying the productions of her movies, especially the five-part series known as Deathstrike. Some say her movies are cursed, resulting in the untimely, and often brutal, demises of her actors. Erica Lynch has dismissed the claims, saying that if there are curses on her movies, she’s not the only one. Here’s what she’s had to say on the matter.”

The video of the promotion was replaced by a clip that was obviously from an interview of the filmmaker. Erica Lynch was sitting in a chair in front of a poster case holding a poster of Deathstrike V. She was clearly responding to a question from the interviewer. “Curses are everywhere. Movies, sports, even families. If you believed in curses every time someone insisted there was one, no one would ever do anything! On sets, I’ve had people say the location is cursed, or the movie itself. I’d wouldn’t be half as famous as I am today if I ever paid any attention to that nonsense. What’s happened with my movies are tragic, but you can find a pattern in anything if you look closely enough. Some of those deaths, they were pretty obvious in coming. And some were accidents. The fact that those people were filming in one of my movies is just a coincidence. After Graveyard of Horror was done and out in theaters, one of the extras, Katie Maxwell, died in a plane crash. Am I responsible for accidents now? I’ll always be grateful to those who starred in my movies, and I always send my condolences to the families, but I can’t give up my dreams to appease a little curse which may or may not exist. Is that what people want?”

The newscaster came back. “It’s pretty obvious to anyone that that’s not what people want. Sales of Erica Lynch’s movies have always been immense, but each new death only drives them up more and more, proving once and for all, a little tragedy provides a dark glamour of the morbid that some people can’t resist. Turning now to sports--”

Yugi turned off the television. He sat in thought on the couch for a moment. He hoped he knew what he was getting into, agreeing to do this with Joey. 

“Tristan’s totally jealous,” Joey announced as he came into the living room. He flopped down on the couch with a contented sigh, putting his arm around Yugi’s shoulders. “He didn’t believe me at first. I heard the news in the kitchen, so I told him to turn it on. He asked me to ask Erica if he can come watch the filming. I’ll ask her on Tuesday.”

Tuesday was the day he and Yugi were supposed to go back to Erica Lynch's hotel and officially sign to star in the movie. Erica had asked them to wait that long in the hopes that, in the intervening four days, she'd be able to find the rest of her main cast, though she was set to cast two weeks if need be. Joey was going to just be able to keep their appointment and then get to work on time. Maybe.

After the initial announcement that Yugi and Joey were her next two stars, Erica had ended the promotion and taken Yugi and Joey into the hotel’s meeting room, the same one in which she would conduct her ‘auditions’ later in the week, to discuss the details, introducing her producer, a man named Kevin Landau. He looked like a hard drinker, but he was as friendly and effervescent as Erica herself. 

Yugi, who had still been dazed by the sudden change in events, had pointed out as they were sitting down that he and Joey were famous, and therefore not what she usually chose.

“Famous?” Erica had said. “Oh, right! The Duel Monsters craze. I *thought* you two looked familiar.” Her brow wrinkled, then she waved her hand dismissively. “This time, I don’t care. It’s a brand-new project, and I have to have you two.”

“And having some famous faces might be a new twist the fans will enjoy,” Kevin had said. “We’ve never done it before, after all. Might draw the Duel Monsters crowd, too.”

Yugi, who had thought pointing out that they were famous would be a snag, had looked to Joey, who had still been grinning broadly. He knew he would get no help there. Joey was too excited by this, blown away, and not in the same way Yugi was.

“Right!” Erica had said. “So, here’s how it goes, you two. Be back here on Tuesday, at noon. We’ll go over all the contract business, the planned hours and such, the locations, your pay, etc, the whole nine yards. We’ll get you the first parts of your scripts, too. This is the way it works. I only give out the first third of my scripts to my actors. It’s my belief you’ll be much more genuine if you don’t know what’s going to happen to your character beforehand. As such, I film more linearly than most people do. In the movie business, scenes are often filmed out of sequence, to cut down spending on renting locations, on commutes, etc. It’s often also to help keep weather and city events from interfering in outdoors scenes. But I like to keep my actors guessing on what happens next. If you know your character bites it in Act II, isn’t that going to affect your performance in Act I? My first movie, I did it the traditional way, and one of my girls threw a real bitch fit that her character was the first death to give the audience a fear rush. Quit on the spot. Threw me off a whole four days while I tried to find a replacement. Since then, I do it my way.”

“Now there’s a line you’ll hear a lot,” Kevin had said with a mix of sarcasm and affection. “Everything is done Erica’s way. Better take that to heart right now.”

“Damn straight. Any questions?”

‘Is it too late to back out now?’ Yugi had thought bleakly. Out loud, he asked, “What’s the movie about?”

“Uh-uh,” Erica had said, wagging her finger. “Tuesday, you’ll know all about it. So, is noon good for you two?”

“Yep!” Joey had said cheerfully. “This is awesome, Ms. Lynch--”

“Uh-uh,” Erica had interrupted again. “Call me Erica.”

“Erica. Thanks a lot for this!”

“No, thank *you*. I’m really expecting a whole new experience working with you. Don’t disappoint me!”

“We won’t!” Joey had agreed.

They had looked to Yugi, who had smiled weakly. “We won’t,” he had said reluctantly. 

Now they were home again, and it looked like he was stuck for it. Joey was so excited, so happy, that Yugi couldn’t bring himself to disappoint him. He had swallowed his fear of being in the spotlight for Duel Monsters. He could probably do it for the movie, too. Besides, Erica might see him in front of the camera and change her mind. He was not an actor, and neither was Joey. 

“Are you sure this is going to go all right?” Yugi asked Joey. “She really only hires amateurs?”

“Yep! Told ya she was famous for it.”

“But--”

“I told ya, I guess she trains people, or something. You’ve seen the movies… well, parts of ‘em., and no one’s really that bad, are they?”

Yugi shook his head. The actors weren’t George Clooney, but they weren’t horrible. Not the sort of robotic, unnatural-sounding actors typically found in cheesy horror fare. It was hard to believe that off-the-street grabs by Erica could produce movies that raked in millions, but it was true. 

“The news piece mentioned that Erica Lynch doesn’t buy into the curse on her movies,” Yugi said. “I would have thought she would have played it up.”

Joey shrugged. “They’re just accidents. Cursed movies? Come on.”

“Yeah, but… you said it yourself, it’s happened in a lot of her movies. The news made it sound like it had happened in more than those Deathstrike ones.”

“Well… there have been a couple in other pictures. But it’s just the Deathstrike ones that something’s happened in each of them, so those are the ones that everybody knows about. Besides, Yug’, I bet some of it’s fake. Promotion stuff, ya know? ‘We made a horror movie and someone died during it, come see it.’ You know, the whole morbid curiosity thing. And people have died during other movies. Accidents with the stunts and equipment and stuff. But if it were really so dangerous, they won’t let her do it. You’re not afraid of getting hurt, are ya?” Joey had looked at him intently, and added earnestly, “Yug’, if you want to back out, you can. I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.”

Yugi stared up into the warm brown eyes and smiled. He didn’t want to do it, but for Joey, he would. 

“No, it’s ok. Let’s give it a shot.”

Joey grinned. “I can’t wait for Tuesday to get here! You’ll see, Yug’. This’ll be something we won’t ever forget!”

tbc...


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

Yugi jerked awake as the phone rang. Groggy, he turned his head toward the side table, seeing the glowing green numbers on his alarm clock. It was 3:28 am Monday morning. 

The phone rang again. Yugi sat up, suddenly worried. Joey had switched a shift with a coworker, then gone to visit his sister yesterday afternoon, staying the night as planned. Was the phone call about one of them?

Yugi grabbed the receiver, bringing it to his ear. “Hello?”

Silence.

“Hello?”

More silence, then the soft, unmistakable sound of breathing. Yugi gripped the phone receiver tightly in his hand. The breathing continued, the caller clearly listening to him.

“Who is this?” 

The laughter started. Yugi shivered, then slammed down the receiver. He switched on the bedside lamp and sat up. He stared at the phone, unsurprised when it rang again. He refused to pick it up, but it rang and rang. He counted fifteen before he broke and picked it up again.

“Hello? Who is this?”

Breathing, and then the cold, menacing laughter. Yugi pushed the hang up button again, but the phone rang in his hand. He gritted his teeth, but it continued to ring. Finally he answered it. When the breathing started again, he tried to channel Joey.

“Listen, stop calling me! This joke has gone on long enough, and you don’t stop, I’ll--” He hesitated, and though he knew that meant he had lost his credibility, he just wasn’t sure what to say. Threatening people didn’t come naturally to him. “I’ll call the police,” he finished lamely.

The person on the other end of the phone laughed at him, but this time it seemed to be much more taunting than it had previously. Yugi’s threat was weak, and the laugher knew it. Yugi hung up again.

The phone stayed silent. Relieved, Yugi looked toward the bedroom window. The blinds and curtains were drawn, but he wondered how far away the caller was. Was it really a random thing, or had he been targeted? Was it because of the Erica Lynch movie?

No, this had started before that. The first call had come almost a week ago, when Joey had first told him about Erica Lynch coming to Domino. She and her group hadn’t arrived until the following Saturday, so the caller couldn’t have known Yugi was going to be in the movie.

Yugi looked at the phone again. It remained silent. He wanted to pick it up and call Joey, ask him if he’d received a call over at Serenity’s apartment, but he didn’t. If he had, Joey would already have called him. If he hadn’t, he would probably blow a fuse and come racing home, and while Yugi would appreciate that, he wanted Joey to stay with Serenity, not least of which because it was three in the morning and he didn’t want him racing through Domino at that hour. He could have contacted Yami as well, but he didn’t for the same reason he didn’t with Joey. Yami was on his anniversary with Kaiba, and he would be home that day. Yugi didn’t want to freak out over a silly prank. 

The silence continued for another fifteen minutes. Yugi turned off the lamp and lay back down. He stared at the ceiling through the darkness, wondering what he should do about the mysterious caller. The first time had *seemed* like a prank after the fact, like Joey said, but twice now? He could try a return-call, to find the number, but what then? Call back? Give it to the police? There wouldn’t be much they could do, even if they thought it was more than a prank.

Yugi sighed and turned onto his side, burrowing under the covers. 

The phone jerked him awake again at 4:19. Yugi jerked upright, then grabbed the phone off the cradle, nearly sending it crashing to the floor off the side table.

“Hello?”

The breathing again. Yugi tried threatening again, forcing himself to use some of Joey’s more favorite phrases. 

“Listen, asshole, stop calling me in the middle of the fucking night! I know you have nothing better to do with your life, but stop or else!”

He slammed the receiver down. Trembling with adrenaline, his heart racing, he waited. The phone remained silent, which was not how it had gone the previous two times. Had his uncharacteristic language somehow convinced the caller to give up? 

Yugi picked up the phone, then dialed star-six-nine. The mechanical operator told him the number was blocked. Unsurprised, Yugi hung up. He stared at the phone again, but it now refused to ring.

Yugi glanced at the clock. 4:33. 

He decided to try and get some more sleep. He lay down, trying to calm his thoughts. The mysterious caller was just some bored teenager playing a prank. He’d gotten quite the rise out of Joey on Wednesday and so had tried to get his kicks again. And since Yugi had done the stupid thing and cursed at him as well, the brat probably would call back again, maybe that night, maybe another night. Yugi would just have to ignore it. And make sure Joey ignored it, too.

******

Yugi sighed blearily as he climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower. After being awakened twice during the night by the prank caller, he was not as well rested as he should be. 

Downstairs, wrapped up in his bathrobe, he started some breakfast. He was scrambling some eggs when the kitchen door opened and Joey came in. He set his overnight bag down on the floor and grinned at Yugi.

“Hi, Spiky!” he said cheerfully. 

“Good morning, Joey. Want some breakfast?”

Joey looked at Yugi’s bathrobe and smiled. He stepped closer and pulled Yugi away from the stove, wrapping his arms around his waist. “Mm, sure. How about some eggs, browns, and a side of you?”

Yugi laughed as Joey kissed him on the mouth, walking him backward. Joey picked him up and laid him down on the kitchen table, kissing him deeper. Yugi wrapped his arms around his neck, still holding the spatula in his hand. His robe parted a bit across his chest and Joey purred in appreciation, moving down and nipping at Yugi’s left pec, leaving a hickey. Yugi squirmed at the bite, eyes closed, tangling his free hand in Joey’s thick blond hair. 

“You smell good, Yug’,” Joey murmured against his skin, mouth just above his belly button. 

Yugi smiled, eyes still closed. But soon another odor, not pleasant, stung his nose. He gasped, sitting up. “Joey, the eggs are burning!”

Joey straightened, letting Yugi hop off the table. Sure enough, smoke was beginning to pour out of skillet, the eggs they had both forgotten blackening. Yugi grabbed the skillet off the electric coil, coughing. He looked ruefully at the ruined food, then went to the trash can, scraping the useless eggs into the trash. Joey opened the kitchen door into the backyard, then leaned across the sink to open the window. 

“Sorry,” he said, turning around as Yugi walked over to the sink. 

Yugi rinsed the skillet out, then set it back on the coil, shrugging. He pulled the mixing bowl back to himself and began cracking more eggs into it. It seemed they kept getting interrupted lately. “It’s okay. How was your visit with Serenity?”

“Good,” Joey said, grabbing his overnight bag and heading upstairs to the bedroom. “She’s starting freshman year in January!” he called as he went. “Can you believe it?”

“Why didn’t she start in September?” Yugi called back. He turned the hash browns frying in the second skillet, then added milk to the raw eggs and began to whisk them together. 

“Couldn’t decide what she wanted to take,” Joey said, coming back into the kitchen. “She decided on photography.”

“I think she’ll do good in that.” Yugi poured the mix into the skillet. 

Joey reached into the fridge, pulling out a jug of orange juice. He got down two glasses and poured juice into both before returning the jug to the fridge. He raised his glass and took a sip. 

“But I can’t believe my baby sister is a freshman at Domino College of the Arts,” Joey muttered. 

“She’s nineteen, Joey,” Yugi said with a smile. “And you’re twenty-three. You’ll have to accept the fact she’s an adult sometime.”

Joey grinned, reaching into another cabinet and pulling out a couple of plates. “She’ll always be my baby sister.”

Yugi looked up at him with another smile. “Does she have a boyfriend yet?”

Joey’s smile disappeared. “No.”

Yugi turned back to the skillet, beginning to flip sections of the scrambled eggs. He shook his head in resignation. “She will sometime.”

“Only if I’m okay with it,” Joey muttered darkly. “Why can’t she like Tristan already?”

“You always hated it when Tristan liked her!” Yugi flipped the browns in the second skillet again. 

“Yeah, but, she was a freshman in *high school* then. Besides, T’s my friend. I know him. I don’t know these guys at the college. I’m just looking out for my sister.”

“I know.” 

Yugi raised the skillet, sliding some of the eggs onto each of the plates. He set the skillet back on the coil, then pulled off strips of bacon from the rasher sitting on the counter and laid out six strips. They began to crisp immediately while he turned off the second coil and picked up the second skillet, divvying up the browns onto both plates. He set the skillet back on the stove, then flipped the strips of bacon. Joey moved the glasses of orange juice to the table, then added silverware and napkins. Yugi turned off the stove, then added the strips of bacon to the plates. He transferred the plates to the table and he and Joey sat down to breakfast.

“Yami’s home today, ain’t he?” Joey asked. “When are we going over there?”

“Two. Their plane gets in at noon.”

Joey glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes before ten. He was up early for him, but Yugi knew that Serenity had a job at women’s clothing store she would have had to be at that morning. 

“Ugh, what am I going to do for four hours?” he moaned, wolfing his breakfast with his usual abandon.

“I’m going over to my mom’s after breakfast,” Yugi said. “I haven’t seen her in a few days.”

His grandfather had died three years ago in March, and his father had returned to his usual work hours not long after, leaving his mother home alone for most of the week. Yugi knew it had been hard on her to get used to a completely empty house, now that Yugi had moved out with Joey not long after. 

“You can take a nap if you want,” Yugi added. “I’ll probably be over there for a few hours.”

Joey nodded. He wouldn’t accompany Yugi over to his mother’s; Yugi used that time to visit his mother one-on-one, helping her out with any chores she had, and just catching up. 

“Okay, I guess I’ll just take a nap,” Joey agreed. “Serenity and I stayed up until three or four talking.” He covered his mouth as he yawned as if proving the point. “I don’t know how she got up to take a shower and get to work on time. And Mondays are her long days; she aint’ off ‘til nine.”

Yugi winced. He finished his breakfast and pushed his plate aside. “Well, she always was a morning person.”

Joey made a face. “Yeah, you too.”

Yugi laughed. He often had breakfast alone or late, as Joey was rarely up before eleven. He worked second shift at a warehouse, working ten hours a day for four days a week, from three in the afternoon until one in the morning, normally having Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays off. The job suited him, and he made pretty good money. 

The pair of them chatted for a bit as they finished their orange juice, then Yugi left the dishes to Joey and got dressed, heading out to see his mother. Mrs. Moto was still a housewife, and she spent a lot of time baking. As such, the house smelled of pumpkin bread, gingerbread, and vanilla when Yugi came in. He greeted his mother and got to work finishing painting the living room that he’d left off a few days ago. He added a second coat to the walls, then sat with his mother at the dining room table with some of her fresh pumpkin bread and some coffee, catching up.

//Aibou?//

Yugi smiled around the rim of his coffee mug. /Hi, Yami./

//Am I interrupting?//

/No. Your plane get down okay?/

//Yes. Seto and I are in the limo, heading home. Are you still coming over this afternoon?//

/Yeah, if that’s okay./

//Of course. I’ll see you later.//

Yugi stayed with his mother until one thirty, then headed home and picked up Joey, who was ready to go when he pulled up, a rarity. They headed across the city towards the Kaiba Manor. They pulled up a couple minutes early and the butler let them in, showing them to the main sitting room, where Yami and Kaiba were. Yami stood up from the couch, in front of which was the coffee table laden with cookies and tea. 

“Hi, Yami. Hi, Kaiba,” Yugi greeted, hugging his dark half. 

“Hello, Aibou, Joey,” Yami returned, hugging Yugi back. 

“Hey, Yami.” Joey hugged him, then grinned broadly. “Guess what? Yug’ and I are gonna be in a movie!”

Yami looked surprised. Kaiba, who had been standing silently across the room, turned around to stare at them. “A movie?” Yami asked.

“Yeah! An Erica Lynch movie.”

“Erica Lynch?”

“It’s those stupid torture porn movies Wheeler likes,” Kaiba said scathingly.

“They ain’t torture porn,” Joey said angrily. “You’re mixing ‘em up with those stupid cut-’em-up flicks. This is different, they got good stories and they’re really cool.”

Kaiba snorted derisively, starting to leave the room. Joey glared at him as he disappeared through the doorway. “Hey, you ought to audition, Kaiba!” he snapped. “I’d sure like to see someone off you!”

“Joey, that’s a horrible thing to say!” Yugi admonished. 

“Yeah, well, I don’t really mean it,” Joey grumbled. Then, looking at Yami, he apologetically, if grudgingly, added, “So, you have fun?”

Yami settled with Yugi on the couch while Joey perched on the armrest of the recliner. “Yes, we did.”

“You got a tan,” Yugi said, looking down at Yami’s beautiful bronze skin. He held his arm against Yami’s, where the difference between his Japanese paleness compared to Yami’s Egyptian duskiness was obvious. Yami had lightened a few shades living a few years in northern Japan, but two weeks in the hot Caribbean sun had returned him to his natural copper color. He once again looked like he’d just stepped out of an ancient temple, albeit in jeans and a red tank top. 

“Yeah, it’s sexy,” Joey said with a shameless grin. “So, what about Kaiba’s tail?”

Yami gave him a look. Joey laughed, snatching a cookie off the plate. 

“Tell me more about this movie,” Yami requested.

Yugi and Joey filled him in on all that had happened the previous Saturday. “And we sign the contract on Tuesday,” Joey finished. 

//Aibou, do you want to do this?// Yami asked him silently.

/No. But I’ll do it for Joey./ 

//It is unusual she chooses strangers she meets,// Yami said musingly, sipping his tea. //Isn’t that a risk of her budget?//

/Yeah, but Joey says she does it all the time, and she must be doing something right, because her movies are always popular./

//Joey will forgive you if you wish not to do it,// Yami said.

/I know, but it’s important to him./ Yugi sighed inwardly. He could tell Yami his real feelings. /Who knows, it might not last long anyway. She’ll probably want to fire me the minute I open my mouth. I’m no good in front of a camera./

Yami looked at him squarely. Yugi smiled. Joey was sitting silently across from them, no doubt aware they were talking in their minds. He had long ago gotten used to it, and rarely interrupted. Now he looked between the two.

“Whatcha think?” he asked Yami.

“It is… unexpected,” he said. “But if it is something you wish to do, it sounds like it might be fun for you.”

Joey laughed, taking another big bite of a cookie. “It’s gonna be a blast! And, Yug’, you’re gonna be great. You’re a natural at everything you do. You watch. You’ll be a natural at this horror stuff. Everyone’s going to remember the year Yugi Moto made an Erica Lynch horror movie!”

tbc...


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

Yugi climbed out of the passenger side of the car as Joey turned off the engine and got out of the driver's side, all smiles. They had just arrived at the hotel where Erica Lynch and her group were staying, ready to sign the contracts for the movie. The day was bright and sunny for October, with hardly a cloud in the sky. Yugi wondered if it was the repeating image of the man having his face sawed off that gave him a chill as he walked with Joey to the front of the hotel. As much as he hated those gruesome movies, he was not usually affected like he was this time. He believed he had even seen that part once before. Nevertheless, this time, he couldn't get the hideous image out of his head.

'It's just the knowledge you're going to be in a movie like that,' he thought to himself. 

He told himself to relax. Erica was a nice person, and he knew he could very well enjoy this experience.

The concierge at the hotel desk reminded them what conference room they were supposed to be in, and paged Erica in her room that they had arrived. They'd shown up early, Joey wanting to make a good impression, and weren't due to be in the conference room for ten minutes. Upon arriving, however, they saw they weren't the only ones there. Four other people were in the room, two men and two women, none of whom Yugi had ever met before. One man was tall and thin, with ink-black hair, eyes the same color, and pale skin. He wore black eyeliner and black fingernail polish, had a tattoo on his neck that looked like a dagger, and wore all black with a spiked dog collar. The other man was between Joey's height and Yugi's, was a little on the chubby side, had red hair and freckles and bright green eyes, and wore jeans and a red T-shirt that said Gamer 4 Life in white letters. 

The women were as diverse in appearance. One was tall and willowy in stature, with fine red hair, wire-rimmed glasses, and was wearing a schoolgirl uniform. She looked no older than seventeen. The second woman was about five and half feet tall, with the sort of body most women envied. Her thick, wavy hair was golden brown and her eyes were cornflower blue. She was as beautiful as Mai. Yugi noticed both of the unknown men in the room watching her with obvious lust, and even Joey gave her an appreciative look.

“Hi!” the redhead said brightly, bounding over as they hung up their coats on the offered coat rack. “Are you two Yugi and Joey? You are! I’m so excited to meet you!”

“Thank you,” Yugi said with a smile. 

“I used to watch all the Duel Monsters broadcasts. You were excellent, it was really amazing to watch you duel. Gosh, when you two battled against Marik during Battle City--” The girl folded her arms and hunched. “It gave me the shivers. He was one really creepy guy.” 

“He turned out all right in the end,” Yugi said. “We’re friends now.”

“Really? Great! Ah, Yugi, it’s really amazing to meet the Game King.”

“Thanks.” Yugi noticed the blue-eyed woman looking over at him as the red-haired woman turned to Joey and told him how much she admired his guts to use his gamble-type deck. 

“I’m Nadia,” she added belatedly. “Isn’t this crazy? She just picked me out of the crowd down at the History Center!”

“It’s totally crazy,” Joey said with a grin. “Are you a fan?”

“Yes! I have all of her movies. I see them on every opening night.”

Joey laughed. “Me too.”

“I think they’re useless,” the man with the dagger tattoo said. His voice was a slow, bored drawl. “Dull, contrived piles of manure the empty-minded masses flock to like sheep.”

Joey and Nadia gave him an equal glare. “Then why’d you agree to be in one?” Nadia demanded.

“Money,” the man said bluntly. “That’s one thing all the sheep are good for, spewing out money for the smarter people who trick them into wasting their cash with shiny lights for two hours.”

Yugi frowned while both Joey and Nadia gave him disgusted glances. The man with the red shirt joined in. “Well, if we’re sheep, you’re a sell-out.”

“Yeah,” Nadia agreed with a grin. 

The man with the tattoo shrugged. Looking utterly bored, he turned toward the window. The man with the red shirt joined Yugi, Joey, and Nadia, sneering.

“What a jerk. Hi, I’m Sota.” He grinned and offered his hand to Joey. “And I’m a true fan of Lynch, don’t worry. The Gut Rippers are my favorite. I think I’ve seen each of them about twenty times.”

Joey shook his hand. “Those are good. My favorite is In the Eye of Madness.”

Sota’s eyes widened. “Wow, hardcore.”

“Good choice, Joey.”

It was Erica. With a large black shoulder bag dangling from her shoulder, she walked into the room with Kevin, who was holding a large manila envelope, and another woman, a thin and pretty young woman with short brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles. Eyes twinkling, Erica gestured towards the conference table and chairs in the room.

“That one was one my favorites, too,” she said. “One of my first.”

Joey grinned happily while Sota looked good-naturedly jealous. The group moved to sit around the table, the man with the dagger tattoo clearly stand-offish, sitting at the far end of the table, no less than three chairs between him and the next person. Everyone else sat in a group, Yugi between Joey and Nadia. After hanging up their coats, Erica, Kevin, and the woman with short brown hair sat across from them, with Sota and the stunning blue-eyed woman on the end. 

“Why don’t we start with introductions?” Erica said. “I know all of you of course, and you all know me. This is Kevin, my producer. To my left is Marie, one of my two makeup artists. She’s fantastic.” The brown-haired woman smiled. “Then we have Sota, Rin, Joey, Yugi, Nadia, and Ishio.”

Rin was the blue-eyed woman and Ishio was the man with the dagger tattoo. 

“Um, Ms. Lynch--” Nadia started.

“Erica, honey. Call me Erica, all of you.”

Nadia blinked, blushed, and looked at the table. But she continued. “Um, didn’t you say you needed eight stars? There’s only six of us here.”

“You have a good memory. That’ll come in handy learning your lines.”

Nadia flushed more deeply, studying her hands on the table. Erica smiled affectionately.

“I do need eight. I just didn’t find all eight before today. I won’t have anyone but those I personally choose myself, and I’ve got to feel it before I choose someone. But don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll find them in time. I always do. In the meantime, we need to discuss what the six of you can expect.”

Kevin opened his manila envelope and pulled out a bunch of paper packets. He started passing them out, having two left over, which he returned to the manila envelope. Yugi turned his around and studied it. At the top it said, “Standard Contract for Movie Appearance.” What followed was the cut-and-dried language of legality, stating that Yugi, as the signee, would be sure to fulfill all obligations he agreed to, while Erica, as the signer, would fulfill her obligations with regards to wages, hours, and breaks. 

“As you can see, it’s pretty straightforward,” Kevin said. “We’ll be filming four days a week, trying to keep it between nine am and six pm. We’ll provide you all with meals and reimbursement for traveling expenses as we go around Domino and the surrounding area to film our scenes. There’s no hourly pay, it’s a straight one-time payment at the conclusion of filming, which we believe shouldn’t take longer than two months at best.”

“How much is it?” Ishio asked rudely.

Erica looked at him. “Twenty thousand.”

Yugi jerked in surprise, and he wasn’t the only one. It was clear that nearly everyone was shocked by the amount of money. Except Ishio.

“That’s all?” he said. “Actors make millions.”

“*Professional* actors make millions,” Kevin said firmly. “You are all amateurs.”

Ishio subsided reluctantly. Yugi saw Joey, Nadia, and Sota all giving him dirty looks, which he was either oblivious of or ignoring. Rin had her attention fixed firmly on Erica and Kevin.

“What day do we start?” she asked, speaking for the first time. Her voice was smoky and sultry. 

“Friday, if that’s okay,” Erica said. “We need to get started on this as soon as possible. So, here’s what you’ve all been waiting for.”

She hauled her shoulder bag up onto the table and opened it. She pulled out her own stack of paper packets, which she passed out. 

“The first parts of your scripts,” she said, smiling widely when Nadia and Sota made noises of eagerness. “I hope you can all read in English, as my written Japanese is pretty rusty.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, except Ishio, who scowled. “We’re in Japan, not America.”

Erica looked unperturbed, looking at Kevin, who said, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you a script in Japanese. We’ll have it in the mail tonight. For now, just make do with that one. Anyone else need a Japanese one?”

Everyone shook their heads, Nadia and Sota most forcefully. Yugi took his own script. At the top, written in red pen, was his name, and another name, Jason Maxwell. He wondered if this was his character. Yugi glanced at Joey’s packet. On it was his name and the name Adam Jordan. 

“As you can see, you each have your own script. Each script is the same, except it tells which character is yours, and highlights your lines. I think it’ll help you keep track. You’re welcome to read everything, of course, but remember, it stops after Act I. No sense trying to find out what happens later on-- none of us will tell you.” 

Sota was already reading the first page of his script. Erica laughed and rapped the table with her knuckles. Sota jerked and looked up, embarrassed. He pushed the script away a little and folded his hands on top of it. “Sorry.”

“And last, but not least, if you’ll all sign those contracts,” Kevin said, producing pens and sliding them across the table to each person present. 

Yugi took his pen. Ishio took his with clear reluctance, his eyes skimming across the pages of his contract. Nadia saw.

“You’re reading your contract, aren’t you?”

“Of course I’m reading it. Only a fool would sign something they hadn’t read.”

“But you asked for a Japanese script. I thought you couldn’t read English?”

“I didn’t say that. I said we’re in Japan, and we are. So they ought to have Japanese-language stuff. Americans always think everyone else will accommodate them.”

Yugi frowned, and he wasn’t the only one. This Ishio was a very unlikable person, and clearly just trying to be. Erica still didn’t seem bothered, though Kevin and Marie were definitely beginning to look as disgusted as the others. 

“Well, we’ll get you the Japanese script right away,” Erica said. “I want everyone to be comfortable. In the meantime, since you can read the contract, do you think you might sign it?”

Sota, Nadia, and Joey immediately put their pens to their papers. Yugi glanced down at his, then signed where it indicated. After putting down his signature and his initials several times, he laid his pen down, then stared at the contract.

It was done.

“Excellent, excellent,” Erica said. “Great, thank you! If you’ll just hand them back to Kevin. Any questions?”

“Are you going to be training us any?” Nadia asked. “I mean… none of us *have* acted before.”

“Oh, I’ll be there to guide you, of course. But I have faith in you. I’ve a good eye for these sorts of things.” Erica smiled. “And after all this time, I have it down pat.”

“I should think so,” Marie said with a grin. Her voice was as sweet and high-pitched as a girl’s. 

“Now, for an overview,” Erica said. “We’re still using the working title Massacre Valley for now. You six are the main characters. Yugi, Joey, Sota, Nadia, you four start at the beginning, four childhood friends on a road trip back home to your families during summer break. Rin, Ishio, you two are siblings--”

Rin looked at Ishio with clear uncertainty and dislike. Ishio ignored her, staring down at his script without looking up. Yugi thought there could hardly be a pair who looked less like siblings.

“--who convince these four to go out of their way to drop you off at your own hometown after… well, you’ll get to that later as you read your scripts. Nadia, honey, your character is very brainy and energetic, full of life and love of knowledge. Think you can do that?”

“Of course!” Nadia said happily. 

“I thought so. Sota, you’re the jokester, always wanting to get one up on your friends, especially Joey’s Adam. You two have a bit of a rivalry going way back and you’re as much at each other’s throats as having each other’s backs.”

“Got it,” Sota said.

“Ishio, you’re the loner, the quiet, doom-saying type who keeps to himself and only agrees to go with these four because your sister won’t let you rest otherwise.”

Ishio said nothing, but Yugi was fairly certain Erica knew exactly what she was doing casting him in that particular role.

“Joey, you’re the athletic type, aggressive and the leader, so sure you know what’s going on, even when things start to happen. Okay?”

“Sounds good.”

“Yugi, Jason’s an artist type, especially painting. You’ve got an eye for scenery everywhere you go and you’re a more cautious voice to Adam’s headstrong attitude.”

Yugi smiled secretly, thinking that that last part wouldn’t be hard to mimic at all, especially with Joey opposite him. “I understand.”

“And finally, Rin, you’re Ishio’s older, more outgoing sister. You’re the party girl, always looking for a good time, and eager to join new situations. You have no qualms at all demanding a ride from Joey and his friends when you meet up, because you no know shame or shyness. Your character, Yuki, has an immediate thing for Jason and she gets right to the pursuing.”

Yugi’s eyes widened. He turned his head to look at Rin, who gave him an assessing look and smiled with obvious pleasure. Beside her, Sota was looking envious and amused. Yugi gave Rin a tentative smile back, feeling his cheeks beginning to burn. Erica, all business, hurried them back to their scripts.

“We’re heading out to the Domino Cherrywood Inn to start things off. Meet here on Friday at eight-thirty and we’ll have a bus ready to take you all out to the Inn. No need to bring anything; we’ll have everything we’ll need. Any more questions?”

Everyone shook their heads. 

“All right, then,” Kevin said smartly, picking up his manila envelope and standing, Erica and Marie following suit, and the rest quickly joining them. “We hope to see you all on Friday on time. Remember, this is going to be a blast, but it is a job!”

“Have a good few days,” Erica added. “We’ll be looking forward to seeing you all on Friday, and don’t hesitate to come to any of us if you do think of any questions.” She looked at her watch. “Now I’m off to go hunt my last two crew.”

She left the room abruptly. Kevin and Marie said goodbye and left as well, leaving the six in the meeting room, though Ishio left without another word not a minute later. Sota glared at his back and turned to the rest with a dark look on his face. 

“What an ass. Here’s hoping he’s the first done in!”

tbc...

A/N: As always, reviews would be appreciated.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six:

Yugi pushed open the door to the apartment, walking inside with Joey right on his heels. He sighed as Joey bumped into the jamb, then the side table on which stood an entrance lamp, making said lamp wobble, and lastly into the back of the couch. The reason was Joey had his copy of the script open and was reading intently.   
  
"Joey, don't you think you should stop long enough to see where you're going?" Yugi asked, edging the entrance lamp back to its original position and shutting the front door.  
  
Joey lowered the script and looked at him. "Sorry, Yug'. But it's so awesome! Have you read any of it?"  
  
"Since I drove us home, no."   
  
He had taken the keys from Joey and driven home because Joey already had his nose buried in his script almost as soon as Erica had walked out of the door. Yugi must have left his own here at home, though he’d thought he’d have them on him when they went to the hotel.

Joey grinned, holding out his script, where he appeared to be on page five. "I just got to the part where we stop at the diner where we meet the siblings. There's a lot of set-up dialogue before that, where we're driving home from college, but it still looks like this is going to be a great movie. It's weird, Yug'. Jason is almost completely like you."  
  
"He is?"  
  
"Yeah. Look, on page two, he breaks up a fight between me, Adam, and Sota's character Akihiro. On page three, he sits on a rock at a rest stop and sketches the view down a valley, really passionate about it. It's like you and games, only with drawing. He's a sweet guy, a peacemaker, kinda quiet, but really friendly."  
  
Yugi smiled. He held up his own copy of the script. "And how close is Adam to you?"  
  
Joey laughed. "I think he's kinda like me, yeah. He's a brawler. But he's into sports and I think he's a womanizer."  
  
Not as close to Joey as it had first seemed, then. Joey was a brawler, but he wasn't much of a sports player or follower and he was far from the type to love 'em and leave 'em. Yugi looked at his script, then back up at Joey.  
  
"Okay, why don't I go make us some hot chocolate and we'll sit down and start memorizing our lines?"  
  
Joey grinned and flopped on the couch. "This is awesome."  
  
Yugi set his script on the entrance table, then walked into the kitchen. He put a pot of milk on to boil, then rummaged in the cabinets until he found the half-empty package of chocolate chip cookies. He piled those onto a plate, added the boiling milk to mugs, then the cocoa powder, then carried the whole lot out into the living room. Joey took the plate from him to set it on the coffee table, pulling his legs up onto the couch, and resting his forearm on the armrest of the couch. After retrieving his script from the entrance table, Yugi sat down, pulling his legs in under him and leaning his forearm against Joey's thigh, the small of his back against his stomach, his feet under Joey's ribs. They often cuddled like this on the couch.  
  
Yugi turned to the first page of the script, under the cover letter. It jumped in right on the scene of the four main characters packing up the SUV they would be sharing on the ride back to town. A few lines of dialogue established the implication that the four of them had been friends since high school and had applied to, and been accepted to, the same college, and that they were returning home for summer break after their first year away. Indeed, as Joey had said, Adam and Akihiro quickly got into a fight over how to pack the SUV and Jason intervened. The four got on the road and headed out of town on their destination halfway across the country to home. The characters' personalities were obvious from the first minute, and exactly as Erica had described to them. Jason was the quiet, artistic type who was nevertheless friendly and often in good humor. Yugi tried to get a feel for the character, picturing himself doing the things Jason did in the script.   
  
"I don't know how to draw."  
  
"What?" Joey asked, clearly pulled from deep within the script.  
  
"Where he sits on the rock and draws the view. How am I supposed to do that?"  
  
"Oh. I dunno. I bet you won't have to. If they do show the picture, like with an over-the-shoulder shot, Erica will have someone else draw who has the talent for it and just give the picture to you to hold. You know, like dubbing over someone else's singing voice."  
  
Yugi nodded, going back to reading. He leaned forward to snag his cooled mug from the coffee table, sipping it while he read through the first act. An hour later, he was finished, his brain hurting from trying to memorize everything, including the italicized areas indicating movement, scene changes, and character expressions. Joey, a bit of a slower reader, was nearly at the end as Yugi flipped his script closed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The first act really didn't have anything all that interesting to it. It was mostly set up, establishing character, setting, and motivation. Clearly, the real action wouldn't happen until later, although their characters had met the characters of Rin and Ishio. Erica was right, Rin's character immediately went for Yugi's, openly flirting with him in a scene in the bathroom of the diner the group stopped at after Yugi’s side agreed to take the siblings to their hometown on the way after causing an accident that totaled the siblings' junky old car. Yugi felt embarrassed just reading the flirty scene, wondering how he was going to be able to pull off acting when he couldn't read the dialogue without blushing.   
  
"Wow, Yuki sure has a thing for you," Joey said, flipping closed the script.  
  
"I know," Yugi said.   
  
"Ah, come on, you'll be fine. Come on, let's practice memorizing a bit. I'll read everyone else's lines from the script page and you try to memorize yours."  
  
They spent the next few hours attempting to memorize their lines. Joey proved to be surprisingly adept, even better than Yugi, possibly because he was so into the idea of being in the movie, and possibly because of his training as a duelist. Both he and Yugi had been required to memorize many monster, spell, and trap card names, attributes, weaknesses, and abilities and they were good at it.   
  
When they decided to finally take a break, Joey was in great spirits. The scripts sat together on the coffee table with the empty cookie plate and hot cocoa mugs, and the pair of them had moved on to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Yugi washed, peeled, and cut vegetables while Joey fried hamburger meat to put in tomato sauce for spaghetti. He couldn't stop chattering about the movie.  
  
"We are going to be great at this," he said, turning over a large portion of browning hamburger. "We had no trouble memorizing that stuff, Yug'. Erica's going to be proud. What do you think's going to happen to us, later on?"  
  
Yugi frowned, adding sliced mushrooms to the tomato sauce. It felt odd for Joey to refer to the characters as 'us' when the movie was fiction, but Yugi didn't object. "I don't have any idea," he said honestly. "She said the movie was called Massacre Valley or something. I suppose it'll be about a bunch of mutants slaughtering people who wander onto their property. Isn't that how they always go?"  
  
Joey sighed. "You sound just like Kaiba. They're not *all* like that. Not Erica's. Yeah, there's a lot of blood and guts, and that's intentional, but there's also a lot of actual story to them. She hasn't gotten a lot of rewards and nominations for nothing."  
  
"Sorry. Anyway, I don't think we can really guess until we get at least the second part of the script. This one didn't really set anything up just yet."  
  
"True. What do you think of our fellow actors?"  
  
"I think everyone is fine."  
  
"Even Ishio?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
Joey laughed. "Come on, Yug', admit it, he's an ass."  
  
"We didn't really get a chance to get to know him."  
  
"He's an ass. You don't have to get to know him to know that."  
  
"Kaiba acted like that, and look--"  
  
"He's still an ass."  
  
Yugi smiled a little, but admonished Joey just the same. "Yami loves him."  
  
"Yeah, well. I'm with Sota. Ishio needs to kick it, and soon. The sooner he bites it, and gets off set, the better the movie'll be. You watch; he'll be the most hated character by the audience. They'll probably cheer when the killer guts him."  
  
"That's not nice. Besides, if he's such a horrible character, he'll probably stay on to close to the end, if he gets killed at all. That way, when and if he does get his comeuppance, it will seem all the sweeter."  
  
"Wow, Yug', cold-hearted."  
  
"I'm just speaking from the metaphorical audience's perspective."  
  
"Uh-huh." 

Later, Yugi was passing the front hall on the way to the kitchen, he frowned at the key hook above side table beside the front door. It held Joey’s keys, the extra house key, and the keys to the Kame Game Shop, but his personal set were missing. He walked over, peering around the lamp, the letter holder, in the drawer, and behind the side table.

“What’cha doing, Yug’?”

“I can’t find my keys,” Yugi said, straightening up. “I thought they were on the hook when I hung up yours when we got home.”

Joey frowned, coming over and peering around the side table as well. “Are you sure? Maybe you left them upstairs on the dresser or the nightstand. Or the kitchen counter. Or the bathroom counter.” A grin spread across Joey’s face.

Yugi flushed again. He knew he had trouble keeping track of his keys and his wallet. He had a habit of throwing them wherever he was at the moment, rather than dropping them off at one place each time. For all his usual spasticness regarding anything else, Joey was meticulous about putting his things away where they belonged. At least, when it didn’t involve dirty clothes. Those ended up everywhere.

“Just help me find them.”

Joey grinned and dutifully trotted into the downstairs bathroom. Yugi went upstairs, using the upstairs bathroom as well as searching it for his keys. His wallet he found on the dresser in the bedroom where he’d placed it the night before, but his keys were not there, nor anywhere in the room. He sighed and checked the closets and the guest room, but the keys were nowhere to be found.

“Dunno what to tell you, Yug’,” Joey said, coming upstairs. “Didn’t find ‘em in the kitchen, laundry room, or the living room. Where’d you put them this time, Spiky?”

Yugi sighed, putting his hands on his hips in irritation. “Who knows. Well, you’ll have yours, won’t you? They’ll turn up.”

Joey grinned teasingly. “I don’t know. What set are you on, Yug'? Ninth?”

“Fourth,” Yugi muttered.

Joey laughed, reaching out to ruffle Yugi’s hair, then went into the bathroom for a shower. Annoyed with himself, Yugi stripped the bed and hauled the bedclothes down to the laundry room to be washed. As he was shoving sheets and detergent into the washer, he mentally tried to retrace his steps, but he just couldn’t remember where he’d set his keys. He thought he had hooked them by the front door, like he was supposed to, but he wasn’t sure now. He really did have a problem with just leaving them anywhere. 

‘They’ll turn up,’ he thought to himself. 

Upstairs, he put fresh sheets, pillowcases, and a comforter on the bed. The shower was still running, so Yugi went into the closet to change clothes. It was now about noon, so there was still time to go to the store. The problem was, he couldn’t drive his car without his keys.

“Joey, I’m borrowing the keys to your car to go to the store, until I can find my own!” he hollered through the bathroom door.

“I’ll call the locksmith!” Joey shouted back. “They probably have your keys on file by now!”

Yugi shook his head, grabbing his wallet from the dresser and heading downstairs, grabbing Joey’s keys from the ring and locking the front door. Trust Joey to always tease him unmercifully. Maybe Mean Yugi would have to make another visit.

Smiling at the thought, Yugi made a quick trip to the store for the essentials they were low on. At the store, he was stopped no less than a dozen times by people exclaiming over him being in an Erica Lynch movie. Yugi did his best to be polite, but even he was getting impatient by the time he had paid for his items and made it to the car. Even as a Duel Monsters Champion, he’d never had to deal with random fans in the street like this.

When he got back, Joey was parked on the couch, showered and dressed, watching Deathstrike IV. Yugi walked right in on a person strapped face-down on a massage table, having a small circular saw chewing into his chin to separate the front of his face from the rest of his skull.

“Joey!”

Joey looked over the back of the couch where Yugi was turned away, still holding grocery bags, wincing at the sound of a wet scream rapidly being cut off and replaced by just the high-pitched whine of the saw. Joey hit the pause button on the remote. 

“Come on, Yug'. In two days, we’re going be in one of these. You better get used to it.” Joey flashed him a macabre smile. “Who knows? In a week, you or I could wind up biting it like that!”

tbc...


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven:

Yugi sighed as he finished rearranging the shop stock. After his grandfather’s death, the Kame Game Shop had fallen to him, as his father had his own career. His mother helped out by accepting deliveries made after hours, keeping the shop clean, and taking the deposits to the bank, but the actual business was now in Yugi’s hands. He was only grateful Grandpa had shown him all the ropes before his passing. He had had a tenuous relationship with his son, but the bond with his grandson had been as strong as steel, and he had taught Yugi everything he knew about the business. The Kame Game Shop was still doing well, even three years after his death, and remained one of the favorites of downtown Domino, though Yugi had hired a cashier to run the shop during the day while he took care of the inventory and books on nights and weekends.

“Yugi, are you almost finished?” his mother asked, coming into the shop from the door that led to the Moto family apartment. “It’s almost eleven, dear.”

His mother worried about him going home after dark, though Yugi was an adult. She would always be a worrier. Yugi was her only child and she was alone most of the time now that Grandpa had passed.

Yugi got to his feet and smiled at his mother. Even now, well into her forties and with her hair beginning to turn gray, she retained the same youthful looks she had always had, making her seem ten years too young to have a twenty-three-year-old son.

“I’m done, Mom. I’ll be ready to go in a couple of minutes.” Yugi had not told his mother about the Erica Lynch film yet. He still had a hard time grasping its reality, even though he and Joey were supposed to start Friday. He would tell her after that. “I’ll see you on Saturday, ok?”

His mother smiled and walked with him to the shop’s front door, waiting while he pulled on his leather jacket. The weather had begun to turn cold, and it was only a matter of time before the snow began to fall.

“You sure you don’t want me driving you?”

Yugi had had to tell her about his missing keys. Joey had given him his house key, then dropped him off on his way in to work and now Yugi was taking the bus home. It stopped at the corner across the street, and would drop him off almost in front of his apartment complex. Despite this, his mother worried. 

“I’m sure Mom.” 

“Well, okay. Good night, sweetheart.” She hesitated and said, “Call me when you get home.”

Yugi locked the shop door while Mrs. Moto stood watching by the window, and crossed the street to the bus stop. He had actually timed it quite well, as the bus was coming down the street that moment. He waved to his mother before climbing on and settling in for the ride home, wondering what he would do with his time until Joey got home after one. A shower and then lounging with a book sounded good about then.

At home, he unlocked the front door and turned on the sideboard table lamp, hanging his shop keys with Joey’s home key very carefully on the hook, then shutting and locking the door behind him. As he passed the couch’s side table, he glanced at the phone. The message machine’s light was not blinking and neither was the new call light.

Yugi headed upstairs, took a moment to call his mother and let her know he was home so she could quit worrying and go to bed, and then headed into the bathroom. He undressed and threw his clothes into the hamper before stepping into the shower. The hot water sluiced down his body, fully removing the chill of the late autumn night.

Yugi took his time with his shower, enjoying the hot water, before finally turning it off and stepping out into the bathroom. He grabbed his towel and dried off, then padded naked into the bedroom, the cool air raising goosebumps along his skin despite the heater warming the apartment after it having been shut off all day after Joey had gone to work.

A glance at the clock told him it was still twenty until midnight, meaning Joey wouldn't be home for a good hour and a half. Yugi pulled on a pair of pajamas and his house slippers and robe and trotted downstairs to get a snack to eat while he read his book. In the kitchen, he flipped on the light and went to the refrigerator, pulling out some cheese and lunchmeat to make cracker sandwiches. He set the items on the counter and opened the dry foods cabinet next to the sink to grab the crackers.

A flash of movement drew his eye. He paused, still standing on his toes to reach the crackers, and looked out of the kitchen window, which looked out into the apartment complex's communal backyard. Beyond the waist-high fence that surrounded the back patio, the yard was claimed by darkness. He saw nothing out there, but the apartment complex was no stranger to feral cats and possums.

Yugi went back to his task, pulling the crackers out of the cabinet, then setting the cutting board on the counter. He pulled out the cheese slicer and set to work, when movement drew his eye again. Pausing, nervousness beginning to take over, he leaned closer to the window, straining to see beyond the scope of the light from the kitchen shining outside. Nothing.

Yugi leaned to the side and flipped on the porch light. The porch and the backyard beyond were illuminated, showing the large oak tree in back that the kids of the apartment complex played under, a tire swing hanging from one sturdy limb. He stared out at the yard for several minutes, but he still saw nothing. Off went the light and Yugi went back to making his cracker sandwiches. When he had enough on his plate, he returned the cheese and lunchmeat to the refrigerator. 

Turning back around, he let out a startled yelp.

Eyes were staring in through the window. 

Yugi let out a breath when he realized a cat was perched on the sill, peering in. Heart hammering, he laughed shakily, watching the cat as it shifted on its perch. It meowed--he could see its mouth move, though he couldn’t hear the sound with the window closed. It pawed the screen and meowed at him again.

Yugi returned to the refrigerator and got the package of deli ham again. He went to the back door and unlatched it, pulling it open and flipping on the porch light again as he stepped out onto the porch. The cat remained on the sill, watching him warily. Yugi smiled at it and sat down on the threshold step, opening the package. He pulled out a slice and began tearing it into pieces, tossing a piece onto the ground under the sill. The cat stared down at it, looked at him, then jumped to the ground and snuck to the piece of meat, wolfing it. Yugi tossed another piece, a little closer to himself. The cat moved closer and wolfed it, too. It was an adult, brown and white, with bright yellow eyes. There was no collar and it was thin, meaning it was surely one of the local feral cats.

Yugi tossed more ham to the cat, knowing that he was probably setting himself up for having it come back, begging for food. He didn’t care. He couldn’t leave it out here going hungry. 

When he was done throwing it ham, he stood up and went back inside. He grabbed a plastic bowl from the cabinet and filled it with water, setting it on the corner of the porch for the cat to drink from, then closed the door and returned the rest of the ham to the refrigerator and the crackers to the cabinet. He felt silly being so scared by a cat on the sill. 

He took the plate of cracker sandwiches and a glass of raspberry tea up to the bedroom, setting both on the side table and climbing into bed. It was a quarter after midnight.

Yugi was engrossed in his book, more than half done with his cracker sandwiches, when noise in the hall drew his attention. He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was only one. Joey would only have been getting off work at this time; he had a half hour commute home. 

“Joey? Is that you?”

Nothing but another soft rustle. It would have been impossible to hear if the apartment hadn’t been so quiet. Yugi set his book down, looking at the empty doorway. 

“Joey?”

Yugi crept out of bed, hesitating by the edge. Another soft rustle came from the hallway. Heart beginning to hammer again, Yugi edged toward the doorway, calling for Joey again. 

“Joey, if that’s you, and you’re playing another joke on me, I’m leaving you.”

Nothing met this untrue declaration. Yugi reached to the dresser and grabbed the reproduction of an Isis statue Yami had given him for his birthday a couple years ago. He would hate to destroy it, but it felt good to have a weapon in his hand. He went to the doorway, holding the Isis statue tightly, and stepped into the hall.

The cat hissed at him. Yugi stared down at it, shocked. “How’d you get in?”

The cat ran back down the hall and down the stairs. Yugi followed after it, back into the kitchen, where it ran through the opening of the ajar kitchen door outside. Yugi set the Isis statue on the counter and went to the door. He must not have closed it properly and the cat had pawed at it until it opened enough for it to get in. He shut it and locked it, starting to get annoyed. Why was he so jumpy lately?

It was the prank calls, of course. 

Yugi sighed and grabbed the Isis statue, heading upstairs. He returned it to the dresser, then climbed back into the bed, but he didn’t much feel like reading anymore. 

Joey got home at the predicted time. Yugi felt better when he heard Joey calling him from downstairs and he got up, heading down to greet him. 

“Hi, Spiky,” Joey said happily, wrapping an arm around his waist and planting a kiss on his mouth. “How was your day?”

“Fine. I got all the stock inventoried and sorted, finally.”

“Ugh. Well, work was fine. Except Brandon didn’t show up again. I bet he’s fired.”

“It would serve him right.”

Joey followed Yugi upstairs to their room. He walked into the bathroom for a quick shower to wash off the day’s grime, then joined Yugi in bed, dressed in his own pajamas. He finished off the cracker sandwiches Yugi hadn’t eaten, laughing when Yugi told him about the cat coming into the apartment.

“Yami sure would approve of you feeding it,” he remarked. 

Yami, no surprise, loved cats. But Kaiba was allergic and probably wouldn’t have wanted one in the house even if he wasn’t. Joey always promised Yami he’d get him a dozen kittens every birthday and Christmas within earshot of Kaiba, just to annoy him. Kaiba always retaliated that dogs were supposed to hate cats, which in turn started another shouting match. 

“One of these days, I’m just going to get every cat and kitten from the shelter and sneak them into Kaiba’s office, their bedroom, his sock drawer…”

Yugi giggled. 

“I can’t wait for Friday,” Joey went on happily. Then he looked at Yugi sideways. “You know… Yug’, if you want to change your mind, I’m not gonna be mad.”

“I know, but this is important to you.”

“Yeah, but… Hell, I’ve been kind of stupid about it. Not asking you at all. You don’t have to do it.”

Yugi smiled and kissed him. “I want to, ‘cause you want to. Isn’t that what couples are supposed to do?”

Joey grinned. “That’s way mushy.” Yugi punched his shoulder. Joey winced, rubbing the spot. “Okay, that’s more masculine.”

“Jerk.”

“You knew that when you moved in with me. So, you’re really okay with this? You’re really going to do it?”

“Yeah.”

Joey grinned again and kissed him. “Thanks, Yug’. I’d say you can choose something I don’t want to do and I’ll do it with you, but there’s never anything you want to do that I don’t want to do with you.”

“Now who’s being mushy?”

Joey laughed, kissed him again, then leaned over him to turn out the light. "Do you mind if Tristan comes to watch us film?" he asked. "He was really jealous when I told him, and he asked if he could come watch. I think Tea wanted to come, too."  
  
The idea of trying to perform in front of cameras already gave Yugi butterflies, but the idea of trying to do it in front of his friends as well was almost too much to bear. Still, he nodded. He couldn't say no. "Of course. Did you tell them it was on Friday?"  
  
"I will after breakfast tomorrow. I haven't told Serenity anything about the movie yet. She's so busy with college and her job, that I don't think she'd have time to come watch anyway, and I don't want her thinking she has to. Think Yami will come watch?"  
  
Yugi hadn't told his dark half any new details about the movie, but he knew he would update him. "He might."

“I wonder how many of us will bite it?”

Yugi really wished Joey wouldn’t speak as if they were their characters. The thought gave him the creeps. It was if they really were being set up for slaughter.

tbc...


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight:

Yugi jerked awake. He raised his head, listening. What had woken him?

Downstairs, he heard a rustling. He froze, trying to quiet his breathing, sure that he had imagined it. But, no, another rustling followed the first, louder. A wooden groan reached his ears; it sounded like a drawer being opened. Yugi sat up with a gasp.

“Joey!” he hissed softly, reaching to shake his boyfriend. “Wake up!”

Joey mumbled and shifted. Yugi shook him again. Downstairs, another drawer opened. Yugi stared through the dark to the bedroom door, which was closed. He shook Joey harder.

“Joey! Wake up!”

“Wha, Yug’?” Joey muttered, half awake. “’m sleepy, Spiky.”

“Joey, someone’s in the apartment!”

“What?”

Downstairs, a tremendous crash shook through the floor. Joey shouted a startled curse. Yugi snapped on the light as another, softer crash sounded. Joey scrambled out of bed, running to the bathroom. He came out holding the hammer that had been languishing in the linen closet ever since Yugi had hung the wall clock in months ago. Yugi climbed out of bed and grabbed the Isis statue again.

“Stay here,” Joey said, coming around the bed and going to the door.

“No.”

Joey glared at him, but Yugi was not going to stay cowering upstairs in the bedroom. He hurried after Joey as the blond threw open the bedroom door and exited into the hall, moving fast but cautiously, the hammer held tight in his right hand. Yugi crept after him, heart pounding. There was no more noise downstairs.

“Who’s there?!” Joey shouted, flipping the light switch at the head of the stairs. It turned on the ceiling fixture in the living room, illuminating it, the stairs, and the front door. The front door was open, cold night air pouring into the apartment. There was no one to be seen. Joey thudded down the stairs, still holding the hammer, Yugi on his heels. The crashes had been the drawers of the sideboard by the door being pulled from their runners and one of the lamps from one of the side tables on either side of the couch was on the floor. The lamp was made of metal; it hadn’t broken, though the shade was dented and askew. The closet door was open, their coats, umbrellas, and winter snowshoes scattered across the carpet. 

Joey flicked another light switch, throwing on the kitchen light. The doors leading off were the downstairs bathroom, the kitchen, and a storage closet. The closet door was closed and the bathroom and kitchen doors open, as usual. Joey went to the closet and threw open the door, but nothing was inside but the vacuum, holiday decorations, and odds and ends. Joey edged to the bathroom, but there was no one inside there, either. Nor in the kitchen, off which was only a pantry closet that was too small to hold anyone and the washer/dryer nook. 

The light turning on had revealed that the back door was open as well. Joey snarled several curses and went to the door, peering out into the night. Yugi watched worriedly, looking over his shoulder several times, but whoever had been in the apartment was gone. Joey slammed the door and locked it. 

“Fuck! Did they take anything?”

“I don’t know.” 

It wasn’t as if either he or Joey had jewelry. They had no valuables either, and the only things of any worth to them were a few photos, some entertainment equipment, the knick knack Yugi was still holding, and their decks and the contents of their wallets, which were upstairs. 

“Fuck,” Joey snarled again. He strode back out into the living room and slammed and locked the front door. “How’d they get in?”

“Did they pick the lock?”

“I don’t see how. Both of the deadbolts were locked, I know it.”

“None of the windows are broken.” 

Yugi set the Isis statue on one of the side tables and picked up the lamp. The bulb was in one piece, but the filament inside had broken when the lamp had hit the floor. Yugi unscrewed it, went to the bathroom, and threw it in the trash. He went to the still-open utility area that held the washer and dryer and got another bulb. Out in the living room, he screwed it into the lamp while Joey prowled around, checking the doors and windows. The TV and VCR remained where they were, so they hadn’t been stolen. Yugi picked up the drawers and replaced them, beginning to put away the birthday and Christmas cards, bill statements, bank statements, and postcards that had accumulated. On top of the sideboard, the photos remained where they were. Only one had been knocked over and the glass hadn’t been broken.

“It doesn’t look like anything is missing.”

Joey was still fuming. Still holding the hammer, he stalked upstairs with Yugi behind him. Yugi returned the Isis statue to its usual place while Joey threw the hammer into the linen closet, where it made a thunk on the shelf. Yugi sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Joey paced their room like an angry wolf in a cage.

“If I ever find out who did that, I’ll kill them,” he raged. 

The phone rang, making Yugi jump. He turned around and reached for it, dread already flowing through him. 

Sure enough, it was the prank caller. The sinister breathing came over the line even though Yugi hadn’t said hello. The caller knew he was there. And Yugi was sure, now, that it was not a prank.

Joey lunged onto the bed and ripped the phone out of Yugi’s hand. Rolling onto his back and sitting up, he shouted at the top of his lungs several inventive ways the caller on the phone could reach new heights in self-fulfillment. Only when he was done, breathing hard with anger and shaking, did the caller hang up. Joey threw the phone into the wall. It left a dent in the plaster. On his feet even before the phone had hit the carpet, Joey paced the room, shouting curses like a madman. Yugi sat silently and watched him, afraid to interrupt. He had never seen Joey so mad. 

The phone, apparently unbroken by the double impact, rang. Joey rounded on it and picked it up. He pressed the talk button, listened for a second, then railed more curses over the line. Apparently interrupted by the caller hanging up, Joey tossed the phone on the bed this time.

“Joey, please, calm down,” Yugi said. “Please.”

“Yug’, this is too much. That bastard! First he calls here like a kid pranking an old lady, then he breaks into our apartment? And he calls again to gloat? Fuck! If I ever find him, I’ll kill him!”

“It isn’t some kid playing a prank.”

“I fucking know that, Yug’.”

“We should call the cops.”

“Somebody already did.”

Yugi heard the sirens, too. Joey’s three a.m. obscenity tirade had no doubt reached at least one of their neighbors, and that person had called the cops. Yugi picked up the phone and replaced it, then got to his feet and grabbed his bathrobe. Joey grabbed his own, yanking it on and having trouble with the sash. As he muttered still more curses, Yugi went to him and began tying it himself.

“Calm down,” he said. “I’ve never seen you like this!”

Joey looked down at him and his anger melted somewhat. “I’m sorry, Yug’. But someone broke into our home!”

“Yeah, but screaming the F-word at the cops at three in the morning isn’t going to do you any favors.”

Joey managed a faint, embarrassed smile. He took a deep breath and let it out. As the sirens shut off as the cops pulled up to the apartment, the pair of them went downstairs. Yugi glanced at the phone in the living room as he crossed to the front door to let the police in.

If this wasn’t an innocent prank, what was it?

*****

Yugi sighed as he shut the door on the last police officer. Joey sat on the couch, brown eyes still bright with anger. The pair of them had just spent the last two hours talking with the cops about the break-in and the phone calls. After initially dressing Joey down for shouting at three in the morning, which had not helped his anger any, the cops had become interested when Yugi explained the break-in and the phone calls before it. They had taken down what little information was to be had, gave Joey a verbal warning for disturbing the peace, then left.

When Yugi had mentioned the calls on Monday, he had seen Joey glance at him, but he hadn’t said anything. Now, as Yugi shut the door on the cops and the curious neighbor hanging out of her doorway next door, Joey glared at him from the couch.

“You didn’t mention any calls to me, Yug’,” he said.

Yugi moved to sit down next to him, his eyes burning from exhaustion. “I didn’t want to mention it,” he said tiredly. “I thought maybe the guy had just called back because he got such a reaction out of you the first time and he just wanted to have some more fun.”

Joey frowned and put his arm around Yugi’s shoulders. “So, what do you think this is? Just some random break-in?”

The cops certainly thought so. Whether they thought the phone calls and the break-in were related they hadn’t said, but Yugi believed so. It was too much of a coincidence otherwise. But the break-in didn’t seem like the usual burglary. Nothing had been taken, and the intruder had gotten into the apartment without noise, so why would they have proceeded to smash things up downstairs? It seemed like something else, but what? Whatever it was, it seemed more sinister than either a prank or a robbery. 

Yugi shivered. Joey noticed and squeezed him lightly.

“Hey,” he said gently. “Don’t worry, Yug’. Nothing’s gonna happen to us.”

“This doesn’t seem like the typical house invasion,” Yugi said. “They could have just stolen stuff and walked out and we would never have noticed until we woke up.”

“Maybe they didn’t know we were here.”

“I’m sure they did. I know they did. This wasn’t about robbing us.”

“But they didn’t hurt us,” Joey said soothingly. “They didn’t even come upstairs and they ran when I shouted.”

Yugi shook his head, giving up on trying to put feelings that weren’t all that defined into words. He just knew his heart that something worse was happening. What that was, or whether it would actually happen now, he didn’t know, but he knew to trust his instincts in matters like this. It wasn’t the first time, and probably wouldn’t be the last, that he’d had feelings that had turned out to be meaningful, indicative of things to come.

“Let’s go on back to bed,” Joey murmured. “There’s nothing else we can do.”

Yugi nodded and went upstairs with him. They curled up under the covers, Yugi cuddling with Joey and tucking his head in under his chin, closing his eyes. Despite his concerns, he was so exhausted that he went right to sleep.

******

Yugi sat up in the bed and yawned, stretching. His eyes still felt grainy and his head ached. A glance at the clock told him it was eight--he had slept less than five hours. Joey was still snoring beside him. He would probably sleep until Yugi woke him.

Yugi decided to make breakfast and read the newspaper. He set the coffee pot on and got out eggs, mushrooms, butter, and cheese, then went to go get the newspaper. It was at the end of the walk and by the time he returned with it, the scent of coffee was already starting to emanate from the percolator. He closed the front door, shaking the newspaper out of the bag. Back in the kitchen, he tossed the paper on the table and the bag in the trash, then proceeded to make a large mushroom-and-cheese omelet. 

“Mornin’, Yug’,” Joey said sleepily, appearing in the doorway. 

Ok, so, the smell of food would get him up. Yugi smiled, sliding the omelet onto a plate and moving it to the table. “Good morning, Joey.”

“Man. I’m exhausted.” Joey sat down and yawned loudly.

Yugi nodded, adding a pitcher of orange juice, plates, forks, and glasses. Joey sliced the omelet in half, serving the both of them. They tucked in.

“Mm. Good as always.” Joey raised his fork in a mock toast. Yugi chuckled. “Man, I hope this movie is as good as I think it’s going to be. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to find out what it’s about.”

“I’m curious, too. Maybe it won’t be so gross being in it as watching it.”

Joey laughed, but waved his fork threateningly. “Oh, we’re going to be watching the finished movie, Spiky. Premiere opening, just like the red carpet folks.”

Yugi groaned, then smiled good-naturedly. Joey grinned and took an obscene gulp of orange juice, then glanced at the phone on the wall over the counter, his expression turning dark. Yugi looked over his shoulder, then back at the blonde.

“What?”

“Just wondering who that bastard was.”

“Don’t. It’s not worth getting upset about again.”

“Yug’, they messed with us. And the cops aren’t going to do anything, you know that. They’re just going to take our report, file it away, and wait for them to do it again, then take another report, and do nothing again. At best, they’ll do a token patrol of the neighborhood.”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

Joey sighed and shrugged, taking another big bite of the omelet. “I don’t know. Not much we can do, I guess. But I wish I could get my hands on the bastard calling you in the middle of the night and scaring you.”

Yugi flushed, embarrassed by that description. Maybe it was accurate, but it made him feel like a coward. “Don’t worry about it. If they call again, we’ll just ignore them. They’ll get bored eventually.”

“If they were some asshole teenager, that’d probably work, but they broke in.” Joey scowled, taking another big gulp of orange juice. “And if they do it again, I’m not going to call down the stairs. I’m gonna sneak down there and whack their skull in with that hammer.”

Yugi looked at Joey worriedly. This was hardly the first time he’d heard Joey boast about beating on someone. “Joey, don’t say that. They could be dangerous.”

Joey only made a dismissive sound, swallowing down the last big bite of his omelet. He took his plate, fork, and cup to the sink, then disappeared upstairs. Yugi sighed, took the rest of the dishes to the sink, and flipped open the paper he’d been intending to read, getting himself a second cup of coffee. He was unsurprised to see another headline about him and Joey being cast in the Erica Lynch movie. Which reminded him. As he wandered into the living room, he opened his link to Yami as he went. Yami answered his mental knock with a greeting.  
  
/Hi, Yami. How are you?/ He decided not to tell him about the break-in.  
  
//Fine, Aibou. And yourself?//  
  
/Everything's good. Are you still planning to come to dinner on Saturday?/  
  
//Yes, of course. Though Seto won't tell me if he is coming or not.//  
  
/Tell him he's welcome if he decides to./  
  
Yami smiled mentally. //He knows, Aibou. I don't think that makes it better. Did you go to the meeting you had with Erica Lynch?//  
  
/Yes. We signed the contracts and got the first part of our scripts./  
  
//Do you feel more confident now?//  
  
/Not at all. Even worse. Tristan and Tea are coming to watch. Will you? We start tomorrow at nine in the morning/  
  
//I will not if it makes you uncomfortable, Aibou.//  
  
Yugi shrugged his shoulders, rearranging some of the clutter that always seemed to accumulate in the living room. /If Tristan and Tea are coming, it won't make much of a difference if you don't. You're welcome to come if you want to. Maybe having you guys there will actually make it better./  
  
//Cheering you on, like during your tournaments?//  
  
Yugi smiled, nodding. /Right./ Yugi laughed a little. /Who knows. Erica is still looking for a couple of people to star and a lot of extras. Maybe she'll take one look at you and cast you in the movie./  
  
Yami's mental aura darkened a little and he seemed genuinely concerned about the possibility. //You don't believe she will, do you?//  
  
/What's wrong? You told me to be more confident!/  
  
Yami muttered lowly. Yugi laughed again, moving to sort through the mail stacked in the receiving tray on the entrance table. Behind him, he heard Joey's footsteps coming down the stairs.   
  
/Are you coming?/  
  
//Yes, I will be there.//  
  
Something metallic caught Yugi's eye as he picked up the stack of mail from the tray. Curious, he peered over and exclaimed, "Here they are!"  
  
//What is it?// Yami asked.  
  
"What, Yug'?"  
  
"Look." Yugi pulled the metallic object from where it was wedged in the small space between the entrance table and the wall. "My keys." /I lost these a few days ago./  
  
//Again?//  
  
"You found 'em?"  
  
"Yeah, they were stuck between the table and the wall." Yugi looked up at the key rack hanging on the wall above the entrance table. Joey came up behind him, peering over his shoulder.  
  
"They must have fallen and gotten wedged and we missed them when we were looking," he said.   
  
Yugi hung the keys up on the rack, taking extra care that the ring was securely around the peg. Joey grinned at him, patting him on the shoulder.  
  
"Well, at least that's not the most unusual place they've ended up. Like the cold cuts drawer of the refrigerator."  
  
Yugi sighed, knowing that Joey was unlikely to ever let him forget that incident.   
  
"I don't understand it, Yug'. You never had problems with your school stuff or your Duel Monsters cards. Just the keys."  
  
Well, it was true that Yugi had a habit of throwing his possessions everywhere when he was using them. There had been more than one instance when he had been surrounded by Duel cards laying all over the place when he'd been sorting his deck for duels. He'd done the same when doing his homework, being in the circle of books, papers, folders, and pens. The kitchen often looked like a disaster area whenever he was cooking dinner, regardless of whether Joey often praised his cooking. He was simply that way with his things, though it was true that only his keys somehow turned up missing on a regular basis.  
  
"Well, I've found them," Yugi said. "They're back where they belong." And then, because he knew it was coming, he said simultaneously with Joey, "For now."  
  
Joey laughed, hooked an arm around his shoulders, and bent to kiss his forehead. He went into the kitchen to do the dishes, calling over his shoulder that Tristan and Tea would be at the set at nine am on Friday to watch the first day of filming. Yugi moved to sit at the couch while he sorted the mail.  
  
/Erica never said anything against friends and family coming to watch, so I'm sure you're welcome,/ he said to Yami.   
  
//I'll be there. It is likely to be an interesting experience for you.//

tbc...


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine:  
  
At eight-thirty am on Friday morning, Yugi and Joey were standing with Sota and Nadia in the meeting room of the hotel where they had all signed their contracts. They had been waiting perhaps ten minutes, though Rin, Ishio, Erica, and Kevin had not yet shown. Joey, Sota, and Nadia were talking excitedly about the upcoming shoot, their takes on the script and their characters, and what they thought the movie would hold later. Yugi stood with them, but didn't really participate in the conversation, waiting for Erica to show and tell them what to expect. His stomach was on a consistent low upset, the butterflies not quite in full motion.   
  
Rin and Ishio showed up about five minutes later, Rin slightly ahead of Ishio. Ishio looked his typical heavy metal, dour self, complete with spiked dog collar and dagger tattoo, and Rin looked beautiful, wearing a well-fitting yellow sundress that set off golden highlights in her brown hair and accentuated her pale blue eyes. Nadia, who was not half so pretty, nevertheless looked quite cute in a short jean skirt and pink top. She did not seem threatened by the prettier girl and went to welcome Rin enthusiastically when she appeared.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," Rin said. "Has she been here?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
"Good. I think she found her two other actors. When I was just downstairs, there was a couple of people standing at the concierge's desk, asking to see Erica. They didn't have any luggage."  
  
"Ooh, what did they look like?" Nadia asked.  
  
"One was a man, real tall and tan, with dark hair and eyes. Pretty cute. The other was a woman, kind of chubby but she had the prettiest black hair."  
  
"I hope they are the other two," Sota said. "I want to get started on this movie."  
  
"I bet she'll start filming even if she hasn't found them yet," Joey said. "If she wants to make her March deadline."  
  
"Well, she can't get started if she doesn't show up," Ishio said sourly. "What kind of director is late to her own filming?"  
  
"You were late as well," Nadia said.   
  
Ishio shrugged and turned away. Everyone glared at his back for a moment, then went back to talking. However, they didn't have long to wait, as Erica, Kevin, and Marie walked in not two minutes later, trailing the couple Rin had seen downstairs. The man was Rin's male counterpart, with masculine good looks of the type that made girls swoon the world over and the woman was indeed chubby, but possessing of a sweet round face and hair as thick and luxurious as Mai Valentine's had ever been. She was as out-going as Nadia and greeted everyone with a bright hello even before Erica introduced her.  
  
"Hi, I'm Daisy. I know you; you're Yugi Moto. I tried Duel Monsters once, but I wasn't any good at it. And you're Joey Wheeler, right?"  
  
"Right," Joey said as Yugi smiled. "Are you a fan of the Lynch films?"  
  
Daisy laughed and shook her head. "Nope! I've never seen any of them probably. I like fantasy stuff. But when a world-famous director looks at you on the street and says she wants you in her movie, how can you say no?"

"Exactly," Erica said with a smile. "You don't. Group, this is Daisy Miller and Mark Aquilar. I think they'll round out our cast nicely, don't you think? In fact, Daisy, if you'll follow Kevin and me, we need to talk to you about your part first. Mark, if you'll stay with the group. Marie, can you get them situated on the bus?"

"Bus?" Ishio said sourly. "On a multimillion budget like yours?"

"It's not that sort of bus. Why don't you just go see? Daisy, follow me, please."

"All right, gang, let's go," Marie said sweetly. "Does everyone have their scripts with them? I hope you've been preparing!"

She led them from the conference room, moving like a dancer down the hallway and back out to the lobby. She led them outside and down the sidewalk to where a gigantic, jet-black tour bus stood parked at the side of the building. Yugi clambered on with the rest, finding the interior to be almost as expensive and cushy as any of the suites in the hotel the bus was parked at. The floor was carpeted in wine-purple plush and there were three black leather couches lined up in a U-shape behind the driver's seat around a white-marble table. There was one stand-alone loveseat with a window behind it across and further back from this set-up and even further along the bus there was a kitchenette with brushed-steel fridge, sink, oven, microwave, and oak-wood cabinets. In the back, Yugi could see a door that opened up onto a small bedroom; he could see a twin-sized bed with covers the same shade as the carpet. On the walls were two large framed paintings of abstract art bolted down. On the ceiling over the table was a large light fixture with a cut-and-frosted glass cover in the shape of a white rose.

Joey whistled. "Wow. Now this is a bus."

"It's beautiful," Nadia said.

"Make yourselves at home," Marie said. "There's snacks and drinks in the refrigerator. That wall there, behind the driver's seat, it rolls down for a TV, and the one on the opposite side there, that houses a stereo. Erica just needs to talk to Daisy for a few minutes, and I need to go find my assistant, and then we'll be on our way."

She scooted past them and disembarked. Yugi moved to the table setup and slid into the booth. Joey followed him and they were soon joined by Nadia, Rin, Sota, and Mark. Ishio, unsurprisingly, went to sit by himself on the loveseat next to the kitchenette. He turned to stare out of the window and ignored them and they returned the favor.

"Wow, I kind of feel like a rockstar," Nadia said. "I imagine these are the kinds of buses KISS and whoever tour around on."

"Probably," Sota agreed. "What do you think she wanted to talk to Daisy about?"

Everyone looked at Mark, who shrugged. When he spoke for the first time, his voice was heavily accented, even more so than Joey's. Yugi wasn't sure of the accent, but he believed it might have been a midwestern American accent. His pronunciation was spot-on, so he hadn't been a recent transfer to Japan.

"I don't know," he said. "I only met Daisy downstairs. But I expect it has something to do with her character."

"Ooh, maybe it's a secret," Nadia said. "A twist none of us are supposed to know about. Maybe her character's the killer."

"Erica's never done a woman killer," Sota said thoughtfully. "Maybe she is in this one."

"Daisy doesn't look like the type to be a killer," Joey said doubtfully.

"That's what would make it such a surprise!"

"She has to be careful about the difference between a surprise and a ludicrous twist that doesn't make any sense," Mark said. "And Daisy's character being a murderer doesn't seem like the first one." He tapped his own script, though it was upside down to Yugi and the writing was too small to make out which character was his. "I don't know which one is hers in here, but if you all have been signed on to play the main cast, it doesn't look like she'd be set up to be a killer while coming off as a regular person during the first part."

"Maybe not, but she still could be one," Nadia said. "Not all of the killers are in the movie before the killing starts."

Mark just shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you think we're going to do today?" Nadia asked the group.

"Start filming?" Joey suggested.

Sota shook his head. "This early? We barely know our first lines, I bet. She won't want to waste film."

"But she said she had to get this started right away. To get it done by March."

"I bet its just practice," Sota countered. "You know, put us in the setting, maybe costumes if there are any, but try to get us memorizing our lines with everyone present."

"That sounds likely," Nadia agreed. "Ooh, I'm nervous."

So was Yugi. He still could hardly believe this was happening, and now that the whole group was here, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do this. Not to mention Yami, Tristan, and Tea were surely coming. The thought of trying to act in front of them made his stomach twist in knots. He had always hated being the center of attention. As he sat there in silent anxiety, the group turned to discussing their characters and how they felt about them. Yugi looked around the bus, trying to distract himself from his tumultuous thoughts, and his gaze happened to fall on Ishio. The man was looking at the group, and there was such a look of deep disgust on his face that stared. Ishio saw him looking and his lip curled before he turned away to look back out the window.

"That ass has such a bad attitude," Joey murmured softly to Yugi, startling him. He hadn't realized Ishio had drawn Joey's attention, too.

"Ugh, I know," Nadia said, also whispering.

"Ignore him," Rin advised. "If he doesn't act professionally when we're on set, I bet Erica boots him. And if he does, well, at least we'll only have to deal with him on set."

"So, who do you think gets offed first?" Sota asked, drawing everyone's attention. "Come on, first hunches, now that we've all read the first Act."

"Who do you think gets killed?" Nadia said. "You've obviously thought about it."

"Ishio gets my vote," Joey said sourly.

"You said that already," Sota pointed out. "I said who you think gets it, not who you think should."

Everyone laughed, except Yugi, who looked back at the silent, distant figure on the love seat. Ishio had heard. The look he gave the group this time made the first one look like a smile. He looked like he would dearly love to rush over and beat everyone's faces in. Yugi swallowed nervously and looked away. He got a bad feeling from Ishio, and it wasn't just his clear hatred of the group. Something dark boiled beneath the surface. Yugi wondered who Ishio was in his real life. What did a man who so clearly hated people do?

"All right," Sota said, drawing Yugi back to the discussion. "I think you totally bite it first, Nadia."

"Me!" she exclaimed. "Why do *I* get to die first?"

"Your character is such a sweet, innocent little girl," Sota said. "Not the kind who turns out to have this fighter buried down deep that comes out when she's in danger and she makes it to the end despite all odds. Your character is the helpless little maiden in distress."

"Yours is the jock who’s always making jokes," Nadia countered. "I bet Akihiro gets a knife through the chest right when he's making some joke about the killer, just for the irony."

"Maybe," Sota said agreeably. "It would make sense. What about you, Rin? Who's your guess?"

"I don't know, I think I agree with Nadia," Rin said. "Akihiro spends the last half of the Act joking about how they’re in an abandoned inn and trying to scare the girls, and it just cuts off there. I'm with her, I bet he gets gutted, just to tell the audience there really is something to be afraid of."

"Fair enough. Two votes for me. I guess I'd better start on that Last Will and Testament."

The group laughed, and this time Yugi joined in, though he realized his sounded slightly forced. Mark voted for Akihiro also, agreeing with the women that it made the most sense, and adding that just because they didn't yet know the ending didn't mean Nadia's character wouldn't turn out to be that unlikely survivor. "The real women's power heroine," he said.

"Yeah, but Erica doesn't really do that," Joey said. "Most of her movies don't play to the women's power stuff you see in some of these modern horror movies where the girl kicks ass and survives."

"She doesn't not do it," Rin pointed out. "I watched some of these over the weekend to try and get a feel for what we're going to be doing and--" She shuddered. "They were totally gross, but Devil's Promise had that Libby character and she was the only survivor of the film. She killed the murderer and everything."

"True," Joey agreed. "Although, usually, no one makes it."

"Isn't that depressing?" Yugi asked. He really didn't remember details like this, as he either kept his eyes closed or left the room.

"Yeah. Horror movies aren't about all the feel-good stuff,” Sota said.

Daisy joined them not long after that. She looked a bit disappointed as she sat down next Nadia. 

“What’s wrong?” Nadia asked her. She looked worried. “She didn’t cut you out, did she?”

“No. And I’m not supposed to tell you.” 

“Tell us what? Come on, now we want to know even more.”

Daisy looked up, then sighed. She glanced over her shoulder, though none of the movie people had come to the bus with her. She turned back and lowered her voice nonetheless. 

“I wasn’t cut out, but I won’t be with you guys for very long. Erica just told me, said she wanted me to know ahead of time, see how I reacted, and to get me ready. I die first.”

tbc...


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:

Nadia made a noise of dismay. "Oh, Daisy, I'm sorry."

Daisy shrugged her shoulders, but she looked disheartened. "I guess someone has to be, right?"

"Right," Sota said. "But, hey, look at it this way. You'll be the first one to give the audience a good scream. That first death that gives them chills and makes them sit on the edge of their seat, biting their nails, wondering what's going to happen next."

Daisy smiled at Sota a little, clearly appreciating his attempt at making her feel better. "Yeah, maybe so."

"We were just sitting here discussing who we thought was going to go first," Sota continued. "Now that we know it's you, now we can decide just how you're going to get it."

Daisy laughed. "Okay, that sounds like fun."

"Okay, gang," Marie said, making them all start. She was just climbing onto the bus, talking as she went. "This is Joanna, my assistant." Climbing up behind her was a dainty-looking woman with very short blonde hair and eerily pale green eyes. She smiled at them, but said nothing. "She and I are in charge of all the make up and wardrobe when we get starting on shooting the film. Erica and Kevin went on ahead and are going to meet us at the Inn. They had some crisis with one of the film crew breaking an expensive piece of equipment." Marie rolled her eyes. "Sorry about your wait, Erica was on the phone getting the story. Joanna and I are going to be following the bus in our car. Your driver is walking up as we speak. Anybody need anything before we head off? It's about an hour drive. There's plenty of soda in the fridge and some chips and cookies in the cabinets, but that's all we have right now. There'll be a formal breakfast at the shoot if you're hungry enough then. Any questions?"

No one, not even Ishio, had anything to say, so Marie waved and disembarked with Joanna. Not a minute later, a man climbed on. He was a big, beefy man with tattoos covering both of his bulging bare arms and a nasty scar on the side of his face at the jawline. His black hair was short and spiky and he had a ring in his left ear. His jeans were ratty and stained, but despite his rough-and-tumble appearance, he gave the group a friendly grin. He was missing one of his front teeth.

"Hey, I'm Max, I'm your driver, and one of your security for when you all's famous and what."

"Security? Looking like that?" Sota said. "I think you want to go for looking a bit more fearsome, people won't take you seriously. I mean, I only had a heart attack, I haven't crapped myself yet."

Max laughed, shaking his head, and swung into the driver's seat out of sight. The bus rumbled to life a moment later and pulled away from the sidewalk. Joey, who had perked up at the mention of snacks, quickly raided both the fridge and the cabinets with Sota and unloaded a double armful on the table. An expensive machine, the bus rode as smooth as glass and the group settled in for the drive. Bags of pretzels, potato chips, cheese crackers, chocolate candy, and marshmallows, cans of soda and ginger ale, and a round tin of cookies were opened and strewn about for people to grab what they wanted. As they ate, the group returned to the topic before they'd been interrupted.

"Okay, Daisy, first guess," Sota said, popping pretzels into his mouth. "What's it going to be?"

Daisy laughed, swallowing a marshmallow. "Um, butcher knife in the heart."

"Classic." Sota grinned, turning to Rin, who was seated next to him on the end, across from Daisy. "What about you?"

"Nail gun."

"Good, good. Um, I'm going to go with falling from a high place, like being thrown off the inn's roof or out a window. Splat."

The group laughed. Nadia was next, rounding out the women. "Something more lasting. Garrotte."

Sota whistled. "Nice."

Yugi was next, and he faltered. Out of everyone, he had seen the least amount of horror movies, but he went with the first thing that popped into his head. "Spike through the eye."

Joey looked down at him with surprise, impressed. "Nice, Yug'."

Daisy shuddered. "No."

Joey thought for a minute, munching on potato chips. "Beheading. Quick, splash blood at the camera, make the audience jump."

Mark shook his head. "Drowning. Real slow and angsty, blue tint on the film, no sound."

Sota raised his eyebrows. "Detailed, I like it." Then he leaned around the edge of the booth seat and looked at Ishio. "What about you?"

Ishio turned away from the window long enough to give him a withering look, then turned his attention back. Sota shrugged, straightening up. "Hey, I tried."

"More than I would have done," Nadia said.

As the conversation finally left gore and centered on the best movies of all time of all genres, Yugi turned his thoughts inward and opened his half of the link. /Yami?/

Yami answered instantly.

/We're just now starting our way there,/ Yugi said apologetically. /Sorry we'll be late./

//We just arrived ourselves, Aibou. I believe we are at the right place?//

He gave the address and Yugi affirmed it. /Did Kaiba come with you?/

//No. Tristan and Tea drove me.//

Yugi hadn't thought Kaiba would attend. /What does it look like, the Inn?/

//Quaint, I suppose is the term. It is a two-floor cottage house, with a large porch and pale pink shutters.//

Yugi smiled. That didn't sound so bad. It sounded like one of the Inns based off of the traditional American style. It probably had gables and gingerbread eaves and maybe even a widow's walk on top, even though the ocean would be miles away from the location. /We'll be there about in an hour,/ he said.

//I will let Tea and Tristan know. They are checking out the view. There is a small cliff at the back of the property overlooking the forest. I doubt we'll even notice the hour-- it is very pretty here.//

Pleased that they wouldn't be sitting bored in the car, Yugi said, /Good. You won't be in the crew's way, will you?/

//There are people setting up inside the house and around the yard, but this is some distance back. They have not said anything to us yet. Tea told one of the men that we were your friends and he gave us little cards to wear around our necks that say we're with you.//

/Okay. See you soon./

Yugi felt Joey's thigh briefly press against his. He turned his head to look up at him and Joey nodded toward Mark. He realized that the other man had asked him a question while he'd been talking to Yami. Joey, who had guessed what he was doing, had tried to get his attention surreptitiously.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Nervous?" Daisy asked sympathetically.

"Yes, sorry." It wasn't a lie.

"I just asked what the future is for the King of Games," Mark said. "I used to play, as an amateur. Does Pegasus have any plans for the game and would you continue to play if he did?"

"Oh. I don't know if there is any future Duel Monsters plans." The game had begun to fade from popularity, although not by much yet. "I'm not really in touch with Pegasus, and I guess if he really had any plans, he'd announce it publicly. But, yeah, if anything happens, I'll still play."

"How'd you get so good at it?" Nadia asked.

"Um, just practice, really."

"And a whole lot of natural talent," Joey said with a grin. "Don't sell yourself short, Yug', you pick up any game you come across."

That was stretching the truth a bit, but Yugi smiled warmly at the praise. "Maybe a little bit," he admitted.

"Have you ever played poker?" Mark asked. "I always have a deck of cards on me." He pulled said deck out of his coat pocket. The thin cardboard box was worn and faded. "It's my good luck charm," he said. "Long story. Do you play?"

"No, I've never tried it."

"Just don't bet anything," Joey advised. "Yug' will pick this game up like he's been playing it since birth."

"We'll see about that," Mark said good-naturedly, sliding the deck from the box. Like the box, the cards were worn and old-looking, the pictures as faded as if they'd spent years in the sun, though still visible. "Anyone else in?"

They all were, so Mark explained the rules, shuffled and cut the deck, and they played to pass the time heading to the Inn. In the end, Yugi did not win any hand, although he did quickly pick up the game and the strategy and finished second over all. Sota and Nadia had both played poker a few times and were impressed with Yugi's knack. Joey, who had never played before either nevertheless finished fourth behind Nadia. Daisy was abysmal at it and got the least amount of points over all.

"Told you," Joey said when they'd played a half dozen times and finally had enough.

"I didn't win at all," Yugi said.

"No, but you came close."

"Close isn't the same as winning."

"He's so modest," Daisy said with a smile. "You're not conceited at all and you're a big star."

Yugi blushed and looked down at his hands. "Not really. Just in the game, and that's over."

"I always liked your stuff best, though," Daisy said to Joey, surprising him. "A gamble deck. You always took huge risks and it almost always paid off. I have Panther Warrior and Lady Panther as my best cards in my cat-based deck. I got them because you had them and they seemed perfect for me."

Joey grinned, flattered. "Thanks. I always liked taking risks. It's the best way to duel."

"Hey, all! We're here, you know," Max shouted from the front seat.

Everyone turned to look out the huge window behind Yugi, Joey, and Nadia. Craning to look ahead, Yugi watched as the tour bus turned onto a wide, well-kept dirt road, that led through the thick trees of a forest. The road was fairly short and after a few twists that probably covered no more than five or six miles, the road opened up onto the Inn's property. A huge front lot contained a barn and two paddocks on the right side, inside which were seven or eight horses, which made Rin and Nadia exclaim happily. A sign proclaimed that the Inn offered morning and evening horseback rides for twenty-five bucks an adult and fifteen for kids. On the left side of the road was a orchard of cherry trees, apple trees, peach trees, and a pretty fountain with benches surrounding it in the center. Beyond both lay the Inn, which sat at the end of the road. Yami was right, it was a cottage-style two-story house with all the gingerbreading and gables Yugi had imagined. Snow-white with pale pink shutters and porch beams, it looked brand-new. A sign out front called it the Cherrywood Inn, though its colors were more of the cherry blossom than the cherry wood.

"Wow," Rin breathed. "It's beautiful."

"All of ya out," Max said cheerfully after he had pulled up parallel to the Inn and cut the engine. He opened the doors and got up, leading the group off the bus.

As the group disembarked, Yugi did not see Yami, Tristan, or Tea anywhere, but he did see Tea's shiny Volvo parked under a towering tree in a parking lot a little off to the left of the Inn. The parking lot was crammed with cars, vans, and a big truck.

Max did not wait for them to find out where they were going. As soon as they had all disembarked the bus, he headed off towards a group of people standing the shade of a copse of trees at the edge of the parking lot. Judging by the general beefiness and rough appearance of the group, they were all security. Why they all needed to be here, Yugi didn't know, and he wasn't sure if it was standard procedure.

/Yami, we're here,/ he announced. /We just pulled up./

//We are still here at the cliff,// Yami responded. //Tea packed a picnic lunch.//

/That's fine. There's no rush-- we haven't seen Erica yet./

//Will you join us?//

/Joey and I will find you when we're clear to go,/ Yugi assured him. /First, though, I think we need to check in with Erica./

"So... do we just go to the Inn?" Sota said uncertainly.

"Guess so," Joey said. "Come on, let's go check it out. We can ask some of those guys what we're supposed to do."

A group of people were on the porch of the house, setting up two tall cameras, a bunch of lights, and a few boom mikes. Joey started that way and everyone else followed. The parking lot was only a short distance from the property and everything here seemed so fresh and cheerful. The sun was bright and warm, the grass and leaves green, and the Inn itself welcoming. It looked like the kind of place a vacationing couple could spend a lovely weekend retreat.

Joey climbed up the porch steps and approached the group setting up. One middle-aged man looked up from where he was wrestling a boom mike into a brace as they came up.

"Hi," Joey said cheerfully. "We're the cast, I guess. Do you know what we're supposed to do?"

"No. Ask Erica."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah. Kitchen."

"Thanks."

The man did not seemed necessarily rude, but he was definitely harried. No one else even looked up. Yugi thanked him as well and the group turned to the doors, which were propped open to facilitate bringing in equipment. Spools of cable were strewn everywhere that they were careful not to step on as they walked inside the front foyer. It was a large room with a staircase against one wall leading upstairs, a front desk for registration and signing in with an old-fashioned summoning bell on the hardwood surface. Three doors opened up from the entrance hall. The one to the left opened onto a parlor, the one on the right to what looked like a conference or hosting room, and the one in the back into a large dining room. Assuming the kitchen would be closest to the dining room, they all crossed the empty foyer and went through those doors. The girls gasped in awe at the dining room, which looked straight out of a Victorian house. The walls were covered with a paper that was silver ivy with green leaves on a pale gold background, a large crystal chandelier over the enormous mahogany table, and eight or ten chairs upholstered with silver and dark grey cloth. There were two side boards on either side of the table for holding serving dishes, and three enormous watercolor paintings of scenery.

“It’s beautiful!” Nadia exclaimed. 

“Erica, they’re here!”

Kevin had peeked out of the kitchen at Nadia’s voice. He stepped aside as Erica came out. She looked a little frazzled, her hair hanging in her face. She pushed it back and let out a breath.

“Welcome, guys. Nothing to worry about, just a little problem with one of the special effects. It’s all about taken care of, so let’s get to work, huh?”

“Yeah!” Sota and Joey exclaimed together.

“First thing’s first. I told you I film my movies linearly. So we need to get you main six set up for the car crash scene--”

“Car crash?” Rin asked, sounding nervous.

“Not to worry. You’re not going to be in one. Here’s how it works. Follow me, please. Daisy, Mark, you too.” She went around them and back out. They followed her, listening to her as she went. “Rin and Ishio will be in one car, while Yugi, Joey, Nadia, and Sota will be in the other. We have two of each car. Two black Camaros and two maroon Ford Fusions. We’ll film some short scenes of the two groups driving along the road out front, then park you and get your dialogue while you’re stationary. We’ll use special effects to keep the scenery going through the windows with some green screen shots and CGI. Then two of my stunt people will suit up, get in the two other cars, and crash out front. We’ll film that, then get you guys in makeup--”

“Makeup?” Sota asked, frowning.

“That’s the movie term. And, yes, some of it is actual make-up. Powder to make the lights shine less off your skin and keep any dark circles from appearing. Set lights are harsh. But it’s also the fake blood, the fake scratches and bruises and such.”

Sota didn’t look too happy, but he didn’t protest. Yugi decided to contact Yami again, since it seemed they wouldn’t be meeting them at the cliff anytime soon. When he told him what was going on, there was a slight pause, before Yami said that Tristan eagerly wanted to see the car crash. 

/I don’t know if Erica will care if you watch. But you could come up and see, anyway. Are you coming now?/

//Yes. We did not start the lunch yet, we were waiting for you. We will just pack up and be there shortly.//

Yugi turned his attention back to Erica as she led them out of the Inn. She gave them a brief verbal tour as they walked down the front walk to the long driveway. “Out front here is the road access you guys came down. On beyond the road leads to a logging company. So, we’ll have to hope there aren’t too many days of logging sounds getting in the way of our taping, but I’m not too worried. Kevin and I drove out there the other day, and it looked pretty abandoned, so maybe it’s not even in business anymore. Out back is our little camp. We’ve got our makeup trailers, equipment trailers, an office trailer for paperwork and being contacted by my employees at the studio and my liaisons. There’s a soundproof trailer back there for reviewing some of our footage or for me or Kevin to watch via a computer link hooked up to a small webcam attached to our two main video cameras to help us see ahead of time if there’s any problems with what our cameraman and sound man are getting. We’ve also got a mobile food kitchen back there to get you guys fed during the day. We’re using this Inn here for shooting purposes, but we’re not using any appliances or anything in there, so, when you guys are hungry and you’re not on set or in makeup, go ahead back there and get something from Candy. She’s our on-set cook and she makes the best American junk food you ever tasted. Right now she’s reading up on making some Japanese treats, too, and she’ll be delighted if you ask to test her skills. Okay, that’s most of it.”

Yugi tried to keep a mental map of what she’d told them. “Are we staying overnight during any of these shoots?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Probably not. I’ll sure try not to. Not because I don’t want to pay to put you guys up, but because the Inn isn’t open to guests at the moment. One of the reasons we’re doing our shoots here is because the Cherrywood is undergoing a lot of renovation on the upper floor, the parlor, and the Innkeeper’s quarters. And there’s no hotels anywhere close enough to bother with when we can bring you with the bus in the mornings and take you back in the evenings.”

“When are we going to get our second Acts?” Sota asked.

Erica laughed. “Don’t jump the gun. We haven’t even started filming yet. We’re going to finish the first Act before you guys even see the second one. I hope you all know your lines?”

They nodded, some with conviction, some without. 

“What happens if we’re horrible?” Daisy asked in a tiny voice, asking the question Yugi wondered himself.

Erica smiled at her kindly. “Don’t you worry about that, honey. I’ve never booted someone off a project who didn’t deserve it for being a jackass. I know you all are amateurs. That was the reason I chose you. You’ll all do fine. If I have to work with you all one-on-one, more fun for me. But you’ll be surprised how easy it is, especially when it’s horror. This is no great thespian production. But, if you want some off-set coaching, don’t hesitate to ask. But first, I’m going to get a feel for all of your innate skills with this first day of shooting first. See how that goes before you start doubting yourself, okay?”

Daisy offered a shy smile of gratitude. Erica grinned back, then stopped and turned around, hands on her hips, causing them all to stop jerkily. Surveying them with back and forth sweeps of her gaze, she smiled.

“All right, guys, are you ready? Let’s get started.”

tbc...


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven:

Yugi’s internal butterflies fluttered at that. But Joey and Sota whooped and Nadia grinned excitedly. Erica’s smile widened and she clapped her hands. “From here on out, you’re working stiffs, got it? Let’s act professional. Let’s be courteous to each other and the crew. And let’s make a great movie!”

“Yeah!” Joey crowed. 

“First thing’s first. The opening scenes. We’re going to skip the traditional opening scare scene for now, just to get you all started on your own lines and stuff. We’ll go back to the scare scene once my makeup people are all set up and we have the special effects ready to go.”

A woman hurried up to the group, clutching what turned out to be a bunch of tiny microphones in her hands. She started handing them out to everyone. 

“These are your microphones,” Erica said. “Those clips there are called toupee clips and they’ll hold these microphones in your hair. The sound quality and field pick up of these little babies are excellent, so talk normally. We’ll also have a boom mike and take the best audio from whatever source.”

Erica took a microphone from the assistant and walked up to Rin. She stuck the clip between her teeth and parted Rin’s hair, before taking the clip and attaching it. Then she finger combed Rin’s hair back into place and studied her from a couple of angles.

“Good, completely hidden. Each of you will have one of these on at all times while you’re on the set. They’re wireless and remote-controlled, so don’t worry about turning them on and off.”

It turned out that the mikes and clips came in various colors. Two were red for Nadia and Sota, one was blond for Joey, two were brown for Rin and Mark, and three were black for Ishio, Daisy, and Yugi. The assistant and Erica placed the mikes in all of their hair, Ishio accepting his with a sour scowl. The clip did not feel particularly pleasant in Yugi’s hair and even he could manage only a forced smile when the assistant teased that with his spiky hair, the microphone wouldn’t be seen even if it wasn’t only two inches long and colored to match his hair. 

The assistant hurried off as soon as the microphones were placed and checked. Erica pulled a radio clipped to her belt from under her jacket and told someone they were ready to go. The man on the other end of the radio acknowledged. Yet another person had come up from the Inn’s direction. He was holding a pair of wireless headphones, which he held out to Erica. She thanked him and put them on, adjusting them over her ears. The man departed without saying anything further. 

Yugi turned as he felt the mental nudge of his dark. Yami, Tea, and Tristan were walking up along the driveway behind them. Yugi smiled warmly in greeting, noting with amusement that Tristan seemed excited to the point of almost wetting himself. Yugi gave Yami and Tea hugs, greeting his friends with a mix of relief and trepidation that they were really here to see him make a fool of himself trying to act. Joey greeted them, too, smacking Tristan lightly on the shoulder.

"Glad you could make it, T."

"I am so jealous," Tristan whined. "Why can't I be in this movie? I'm way better looking than you."

"Watch it," Joey growled.

The rest of the group had turned around to see what was going on. Nadia bounced up eagerly, grinning broadly.

"Who are your friends?" she asked.

"Yes, who are they?" Erica agreed. Her expression seemed slightly reserved and Yugi worried they should have asked her beforehand.

"These are our friends, Tristan, Tea, and Yami," Yugi said. "They came to support us."

"Can they watch?" Joey asked. He smiled sheepishly. "I guess we shoulda said something first."

Erica seemed to hesitate for a second, then she smiled brightly and stepped forward to extend her hand to Tristan. "Of course. Maybe just this time, though. I don't want any spoilers taking place."

"Thanks!" Tristan said enthusiastically, shaking her hand.

"No problem." She shook hands with Tea, then turned to Yami.

She froze. Yami paused with his hand in hers, looking at her with concern. Erica stared at him, then looked at Yugi, who smiled nervously.

"Um, we're related," he lied lamely.

"So it seems." Erica seemed to realize she was acting strangely and smiled, shaking Yami's hand. "Sorry about that. Welcome to the set." She confirmed Yami's earlier fears by laughing jovially and adding, "Well, at least if we need one, we won't have to look far for a stand-in."

Yami forced a noncommittal smile. Yugi grinned at him behind Erica's back. The others, aside, of course, from Ishio, greeted Yugi's friends warmly, though Sota stared at Yami a little suspiciously, apparently trying to figure out how there could be someone who looked so like Yugi that he'd never heard of before. Ishio barely even looked their way. Erica allowed a few minutes of easy chatter before she brought their attention back at hand.

"Okay, folks, we're running a little behind, so let's get on this. I need Joey, Yugi, Nadia, and Sota to hop into the Camaro there. Joey, you'll be driving. Er, you do have a valid license, don't you?" When Joey nodded and reached for his wallet, she waved her hand. "That's good enough. Ishio, you have one, too?" Ishio only gave her a condescending look, which she didn't acknowledge. "All right, you and Rin, you're in the Fusion. Ishio, you're driving that one. Keys are in the ignitions. Let's get a start with Ishio and Rin first. Ishio, I want you to drive on down there to that marker down there--" She pointed to a bright pink ribbon tied around a tree about three miles down the road, barely visible from their position. "--and then turn around and come back. The Monster--that's what we call our big dolly-mounted camera, that's it down there--will follow alongside you, getting some shots of you two in the moving car. You don't have to talk or do anything, we're just getting a few moving shots. Once you come back here to the driveway, pull off, and we'll get your lines. Then we'll get the others in their car coming from the other direction and their lines. After that, we'll need to get you guys in the makeup trailer and get you beat up for the crash scene. Any questions?"

No one had any. 

“Then here we go. I need everyone to be completely silent.” She looked at Yami, Tristan, and Tea emphatically as she said this. “I’m going to be listening in to the dialogue through these headphones and I need to be able to hear everything. Once the cameras are rolling, no one says anything at all, no coughing, no sneezing. You do it, you’re booted off. Okay? Good.”

Ishio and Rin headed over to the rather ratty-looking maroon Fusion parked in the driveway facing out to the road. Ishio climbed into the driver's side and started the car. Its motor sounded old and rough, as if something was grating inside of it and its muffler was shot. A plume of blue oil smoke puffed out of the tailpipe. As Rin got into the passenger side and shut her door, Ishio put the car into drive and pulled forward, turning left into the road and driving east towards the marker. The blue oil smoke continuously leaked out of the car's rusted tailpipe, drifting into the trees on the other side of the road. As Yugi stood in a rough line with the others along the road, he now saw what looked like a track lying along the length of the road on the other side. Down the street the Monster camera seemed to be resting on the track. It must run along it like a train as it paced the cars.

Ishio reached the marker down the road. The taillights, one dimmer than the other, lit up as he braked. He made a wide roundabout and turned around to face them again, stopping. Yugi saw a man's figure break away from the platform the giant camera was sitting on and walked up to the car, bending down to talk into the driver's side window. He straightened and returned to the platform. After a moment, Ishio started driving back toward them and the platform moved, keeping pace, the camera pointed at the car. They kept pace halfway, then the camera's platform increased its speed and pulled ahead, the camera angling back to keep the car in view. Then it fell back, again rotating with the help of the cameraman to get a shot of the back of the car as Ishio went ahead. He reached the driveway and slowed, pulling in and parking as instructed. The camera dolly stopped on the track parallel to the driveway. Yugi saw that the huge camera was mounted on a robotic arm that moved as the operator standing on the platform wanted. A second person sat in a little seat and steered the platform like a little car. The motor on the platform almost entirely silent.

"That's our main cameraman there, Steven, and his assistant Vince. The guy driving the platform is our dolly grip, another Kevin. We usually call him K, to keep from confusing him with my assistant. A dolly grip is someone who operates the camera dolly in moving shots, and without him, I couldn't make half the scenes I do. It takes a lot of training to get dolly gripping down. It's a lot harder than it looks. We are lucky enough to have a motorized dolly for our films. Most dollies are pulled or pushed by the grip, but out here, that would be quite the task for K."

The cameraman hopped off the platform. Another man hurried up, holding a shoulder-mounted camera which he handed off to Steven. Steven hefted it, checked it, then turned it on and lifted it up to his shoulder. The dolly grip got off the platform and followed him, while Vince the camera assistant fussed with the dolly-mounted camera. Steven walked over to the car, then crouched a little to angle the camera steadily into the open window. Another man came from back towards the Inn, carrying a long pole on which the giant boom mike was hung. He stopped behind the cameraman and the dolly grip and hefted it up, holding it out over and behind the camera. 

Yugi could just see Ishio and Rin through the windshield of the car. They were talking, clearly saying their lines. Rin ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it back behind her ear, then leaned her elbow on the window edge, chin in her hand, looking off into the distance as she spoke. Ishio, hands on the wheel like he was driving, was glaring through the windshield and clearly speaking in a terse voice. The cameraman, the boom mike operator and the dolly grip pacing him, circled around the front of the car in a crescent shape two or three times before Erica suddenly called cut and they stopped. The cameraman lowered the camera, holding it by the handle, and shut it off. The boom mike operator lowered and turned off the mike and the dolly grip turned and went back to the dolly platform.

"All right, Ishio, good job."

Ishio and Rin had exited the car and walked up. Ishio didn't acknowledge the praise, only stopped and turned back to the road, standing a few feet apart from the rest of the group. Rin came to join them, looking a little sour.

"That man is the biggest jerk ever," she said in a low voice aimed at Nadia that Yugi could still hear.

"What'd he say?" Nadia whispered back.

Rin shook her head. "Nothing, really. I tried to be nice, said we were going to be working together for a while, maybe we should try to get along. He looked at me like he wanted to push me out of the car and then didn't look at me again the rest of the drive."

"I don't know why you guys keep trying," Daisy said. "He clearly doesn't want to have anything to do with us."

"I guess I'm just a nice person," Rin said with a sigh.

"Rin, great job with your lines,” Erica said. “I could really hear the emotion you were trying to convey.”

Rin flushed. Erica grinned, then waved toward Yugi and Joey. “All right, let's get the other car's shots," Erica said. "We're all reset."

"Good luck, guys," Tea said. "This is so exciting!"

Yugi smiled, his stomach fluttering nervously again, even though he knew they were only driving a short distance with nothing to say. It wouldn't last long. They'd be doing their lines soon enough.

Joey grinned and laughed, slapping Yugi on the shoulder as the four of them walked over to the black Camaro. Joey hopped into the driver’s side and started the engine, Yugi getting into the passenger side. Sota and Nadia got in back. The Camaro was clean and in good shape. A plastic water bottle partially filled was in the cup holder and road map lay on the dashboard. Yugi was supposed to unfold it and pretend to be trying to verify if Joey’s character had gotten lost. In back, Sota had put on some fake headphones and was holding a Walkman. Nadia had a purse she’d be rummaging through, looking for her cell phone, which would turn out to have no reception. 

“I’m so nervous,” Nadia whispered. 

“We’ll be great,” Sota insisted. “You heard her. If she thinks Ishio can do a good job, we’ll be spectacular.”

Nadia smiled, appearing cheered.

“There’s the signal,” Joey said. “Let’s do this.”

He put the car into drive and pulled out into the street, heading in the opposite direction Ishio had. Yugi took the map off the dashboard and opened it, though he wouldn’t be saying anything until after they were parked. They drove along the road two or three miles before Joey slowed at the sight of the pink marker and turned the car around. Yugi saw that the camera dolly had already made it out this far ahead of them and was ready to go. It seemed the platform swiveled back and forth without the wheels leaving the track. The cameraman was on the dolly, the large camera pointed at them, the dolly in the driver’s seat and the camera assistant crouched down, hands on what looked like dials that moved the camera as necessary. 

Joey started back down the road. Yugi looked out his passenger window as he was supposed to, finding himself staring into the big round glass of the camera’s lens. It looked like a big, unblinking black eye, shiny in the light of the sun, blind.

Wondering where that image had come from, Yugi looked beyond it to the trees going by. Then he looked in front out the windshield before looking at Joey, who was driving along at a sedate pace, ignoring everything but what was in front of the car. Yugi would have thought he was completely at ease until he noticed the muscle in Joey’s jaw was tense. He was clenching his teeth, clearly more anxious about this than he’d let on.

The drive took only a couple of minutes and then they were pulling back into the driveway. As the cameraman and dolly grip started doing their thing again, the boom mike operator moving away from the group up the driveway a bit where he’d been talking to Erica, Yugi felt his stomach give a swoop and for one horrible minute he thought he was going to be sick. 

//Stay calm, Aibou,// Yami whispered along their link. //You’ll be fine. Know that you can do this. You’ve always had the strength to do whatever you wanted to do.//

Yugi felt better at the sense of reassurance coming from Yami. He smiled a bit, relaxing some. He was still nervous, terribly so, but he was not going to vomit on camera. That would be more humiliating than getting booted off the project.

The cameraman, mike operator, and dolly grip were in position by the car. Yugi hastily looked down at the map in his lap, as he was supposed to. It was time for their lines. This was it, they were in the movie, and there was no turning back now.

tbc...

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

“Hey, Adam, are you sure you know where you’re going?” Sota asked. 

“Yeah, I told you I did, man,” Joey said. “This is just the scenic route. Relax.”

“Jason, is he really going the right way?”

“Hey!”

Yugi pulled the map off the dashboard and opened it, pretending to scan it. After a moment, he said, “Yeah, it looks like this turns onto 95 which we can take back to 70 and get home.”

“Yeah, but are we going out of our way?”

“Damn it, relax. Enjoy the view.”

“Let me see the map.”

“No way. Jason, don’t give it to him.”

“You two are acting like children,” Nadia admonished. 

“Whatever,” Sota said. “Jason, give it.”

He leaned over between the seats to try and snatch it from Yugi’s hands. Joey let go of the wheel with one to try and push Sota back. They argued, pushing at each other, Joey darting glances from the road to Sota and back again. 

“Stop it!” Nadia cried.

“Guys, this is dangerous,” Yugi said. “Why can’t he look at the map?”

“’Cause I said I got this.”

“You’re not the boss. Just ‘cause you want to come the scenic way doesn’t mean I want to. Jason, give me that map!”

“Leave him alone!”

“Look out!” Nadia shrieked. 

“Shit!” Joey yelped. 

They were pretending to crash. Yugi dropped the map and grabbed the dashboard, bracing for an imaginary impact. He widened his eyes while behind Nadia screamed. 

“Cut!” Erica yelled. “All right, guys.”

They relaxed as Erica walked over and the cameraman lowered his camera and the mike operator lowered his boom mike, rolling his shoulders to ease the strain from holding the heavy equipment. 

“That was great,” Erica said. “All of you know your lines, you have your tone down, it really felt real. Except the crash. I want to do that part over. This time, I want you all to jerk on cue, like you’re really being struck. We may have to practice a bit, but I want you all to jerk back and then forth together. Like you’ve been hit by a car. Okay?”

They all nodded.

“Right after Nadia screams. Try to get it together. Let’s start at Joey’s ‘Leave him alone!’ line.”

She stepped back. The cameraman and mike operator hefted their equipment again and aimed them. Yugi picked up the map again and Sota leaned forward to grab it from him while Joey grabbed his wrist.

“Action!” Erica called.

“Leave him alone!” Joey shouted.

“Look out!” Nadia screamed.

They braced again. This time, when Nadia screeched in the backseat, Yugi flung himself forward, then back against the seat. Beside him, Joey grunted. Erica yelled cut again.

“That was much better. Not quite in sync-- Sota was too late, Yugi too early. But nearly. One more time. Count to three in your heads, right after the scream. One, two, three! Okay? Let’s go!”

They did the scene over. Erica pronounced that she was satisfied. Relieved, Yugi got out of the car, his heart still knocking and his body feeling shivery-weak with the aftermath of extreme anxiety. When he walked around the car, Joey was waiting for him at the corner of it. He let his breath out in a puff, then grinned. Yugi smiled back at him.

They walked back up the driveway to the group, who congratulated them heartily.

“That was great!” Tristan said. “Even if I couldn’t really hear you.”

“Yeah,” Tea agreed. “This is so exciting! Thank you again, so much, Ms. Lynch--”

“Erica. And you’re welcome.”

//See? You did a fine job, Aibou,// Yami said. 

/It’s only started,/ Yugi responded. /But thanks./

“You did such a good job,” Rin said to Nadia. “Unlike him,” She pointed at Tristan, “I could hear you.”

“I wish I’d been able to hear you,” Nadia said. 

“Okay, pay attention,“ Erica said, once they had all reassembled back on the driveway. “Now for the crash. You’re welcome to watch, but if you’re uncomfortable about it, you can head back to the Inn.”

“It’s going to be a real crash?” Tea asked.

“Yes. Our stunt drivers are on their way up. We’ll get a shot of them crashing, then edit in the group.”

“I don’t think I want to watch that,” Tea said. “Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Of course. It’s a stunt. Would you like to go back to the Inn?”

“I think I want to, too,” Daisy said.

“Aw, come on,” Tristan said.

“No, I don’t want to,” Tea said. She smiled at Daisy. “Want to go back with me?”

Daisy smiled back. No one else wanted to go, though Nadia seemed a little torn. The two girls headed off up the driveway to the Inn after saying goodbye while everyone else opted to stay. Yugi was glad to see the two hitting it off. Tea was always going on about needing new female friends. Maybe now she’d get one.

A couple minutes later, what looked like a golf cart came trundling down the driveway toward them. The two people on board were a man and a woman in identical black and silvers suits of the type that a racecar driver would wear. On the back of the golf cart, in the basket that normally carried golf clubs, were a bunch of goggles.

“Okay, put these on,” Erica said, beginning to hand them out. “I don’t expect we’ll be near enough to the crash down there, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Yugi accepted his pair and put them on. This was dangerous, and he worried for the drivers. There was so much that could go wrong with a stunt like a car crash. Still, these driver knew what they were doing, and so did Erica.

“Some more introductions. These are Christie and Andy Ventura. Brother and sister stunt team and the best around in my humble opinion. I always use them in all of my movies.”

Neither Ventura smiled but Christie nodded around and said, “Pretty country you got here.”

“Just a simple car crash this time,” Erica said.

The Venturas nodded. Both pulled helmets out of the golf cart and headed to the set of duplicate cars. Christie swung into the Camaro and Andy got into the Ford. They pulled out of the driveway and headed in opposite directions. The cameraman was back on the skid, operating the big camera while the boom mike operator was taking a break, his mike propped carefully against the Inn’s fence. At opposite ends of the street, Christie and Andy turned around and faced each other. Erica raised her arm, then dropped it. The two cars took off, heading at each other.

“Ooh,” Nadia said nervously, raising her hands to her mouth.

The rest watched in silence as the cars approached each other. At the last second, the Camaro slammed on the brakes, turning to the left. The Ford also slammed on the brakes and swerved to the right-- or Andy’s left. But they were not fast enough to avoid a collision. The Camaro hit the back bumper of the Ford, sending it spinning. It went off the road, turning just in time to crash head-first into a tree. There was silence except for the tinkling of hot metal, steam pouring from the Ford, and the sounds of birds, startled by the crash, taking flight. Then, almost as one, the doors of both vehicles opened and the siblings got out.

“We got it, Erica!” the cameraman shouted from across the road. 

“Excellent, excellent! Andy, Christie, awesome as always, thank you.”

The siblings seemed completely unruffled. They both nodded toward Erica, then got into the golf cart and headed back to the Inn. 

“That was so cool!” Sota exclaimed. “They’re so cool!”

“Don’t talk much,” Rin remarked.

“No, they don’t, but they’re the best around.” She smiled. “Of course, they know it, too. Their attitudes show it and they’re horrible to deal with.”

“Hey, Ishio, you should go ask them to adopt you, you fit right in,” Sota said.

Joey, Nadia, and Mark laughed. Rin giggled behind her hand. Ishio gave Sota the same death glare he had given before on the bus. Erica raised her hand.

“All right, that’s enough. You all have to work together and nothing is going to stop me from having my movie made, got it?”

tbc...


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen:

Everyone but Ishio nodded. Erica smiled, then spread her hands. “Okay, enough being tough. You all did a fantastic job. It’ll get better the longer you do it. Now, I want to get you guys into make up to get you all banged up for the next scene. So, head on up, behind the Inn, to the trailers set up back there. Marie and Joanna are waiting for you.”

“What happened to the formal breakfast promised us?” Joey asked suddenly. 

“You’re hungry?”

“He always is,” Tristan said.

“So are you.”

Erica frowned slightly, then smiled. “I’m sure Candy kept some stuff nice and hot. Go on and eat. Anyone who isn’t hungry, you can go ahead and get into make up. They’re not going to be able to do all of you at once anyway. Yami, Tristan, you’re welcome to eat on us, if you want. Tea, too, if you find her and Daisy.”

“Thanks!” Tristan said cheerfully. 

The pair of them turned and hurried up the driveway. Yugi smiled with long-suffering affection and fell into step beside Yami while the rest walked up with them.

//You did wonderfully, Aibou.//

Yugi looked down at the pavement beneath his feet, embarrassed. /Thanks./

//Erica seems like a nice person.//

/She is. I think doing this really is going to be fun./

Yami smiled. //Good, I’m glad.//

On the porch of the Inn, Tea and Daisy were waiting for them. Tea told them that Joey and Tristan had already hurried by to find the food stand. 

“How’d the crash go?” Daisy asked.

“Good,” Rin said, joining them on the porch. “The two stunt people came and crashed the cars like it was nothing.”

“We saw them in their golf cart. They passed us on the way. They looked really intense.”

“They are. The girl said Japan is pretty, and that’s it. Just came down, crashed the cars, got back in their cart, and left. Erica says they’re really hard to work with.”

Tea and Daisy joined the group following after Joey and Tristan. Behind the Inn, Yugi saw a small town of trailers, tents, and portapotties. People were bustling about, shouting at each other, shouting into phones, and hauling equipment. There were cables running everywhere that people stepped over without a second thought, though Yugi found himself having to watch where he was going intently to avoid tripping up. 

“Hey! You guys looking for Candy or Marie?” a man shouted to them.

“Are you guys hungry?” Yugi asked the rest.

“Starving,” Daisy said.

“We never did get to have our picnic,” Tea said, and Yami nodded.

“I’m not. I think I’ll get into makeup,” Rin said. “Some of us should.”

“I’m with you,” Sota said. “I can’t wait to get some more done.”

“I’m not hungry either,” Mark said.

The man was beginning to look irritated. He pointed in two different directions. “Candy’s that way, Marie’s that way.”

“Thanks!” Yugi shouted back. “Sorry!”

The group split up, with those who were hungry heading towards Candy’s and those who weren’t taking the path toward Marie’s. The various crew milling around paid them no more attention than brief glances.

Candy’s was an enormous food stand of the type seen at fairs and carnivals. In hot pink letters lined with blue lights were the words Candys’--Best Grub You’ll Ever Have. Candy herself was visible behind the counter. Indeed, it would have been hard to miss her. She was a gigantic woman. Standing probably six feet two, she was amply busted, thick in the waist, arms, and hips, with a large patrician nose and big, doe-like brown eyes. Her black hair shone like a raven’s wings, pulled tightly back from her face. Her hands looked capable of snapping tree trunks. 

“Whoa,” Joey murmured.

Candy saw them. A grin spread over her mannish, yet appealingly good-natured face. “Hello!” she cried in English, her voice as big as her body. “Hope ya’ll speak some English. Sorry, but I cain’t make heads nor tails of ya’lls’ language.”

“We speak English,” Joey said in that language. 

“Great! What cain I get ya’lls? Got American, Cajun, Italian, French, Spanish, German, and been learnin’ to make ya’ll’s Japanese. What’ll ya’ll have?”

“Uh…”

Menu’s right thur.” She waved a ham hand at a long whiteboard scrawled with various junk food dishes in different colored marker. There were no prices. 

“All’s free,” Candy said, resting her upper half on her folded arms on the counter. The wood groaned. “All on Erica and her company. If’n ya’ll’s confused ‘bout anything’, I kin tell ya’lls what’s what.”

Yugi thought her accent might be heavy Southern. It made it difficult to understand her, and he saw Daisy looking completely flustered.

“How about we just order whatever’s easiest,” Tea suggested in Japanese. “She’s hard to understand.”

“What does the crew usually ask for?” Joey asked in English.

“Oh, ‘bout everyt’in’.”

“That’s helpful,” Tristan muttered.

“Ya’ll’s lookin’ mighty lost. How ‘bout I just gets ya my most popular dishes?”

“Sounds good,” Joey said, relieved.

“So, ya’ll’s the new actors,” Candy said, once they’d been served a strange mish-mash of dishes. Spinach quiche, chorizo quesadilla, chicken teriyaki, tofu miso soup, shrimp gumbo with cornbread, and French eclairs and German chocolate cake for dessert. “How’re ya likin’ it?”

“It’s great,” Joey said around a mouthful of food. “Erica’s great.”

“Yep, she is,” Candy agreed. “Ya know, that lady, she don’t forget nothing. I gots me six kids stateside ‘n’ she don’t forget a birthday, nor me and the mister’s anniversary. She’s like that with everybody.”

“How long have you worked with her?” Tea asked.

“Oh, I reckon it’s been about ten years, in betweens the kids. I was there for her first international movie she made.”

“Twelve Ways to Die,” Joey said enthusiastically.

“Yuh. You’re one of her big fans, I take it.”

“Yeah.”

“Me too,” Tristan said, a bit put out. “But I wasn’t there for her casting call.”

“She’s good people. I don’t like her movies much myself, but the woman’s good.”

“This food’s good, too,” Joey said. “Man.”

“Why thank ya.” She looked at a watch clamped around one meaty wrist. “Ya’ll’s got some time yet, I reckon. Takes them girls ‘bout an hour to do the makeup, even just the little blood.”

“You said you’ve been with her about ten years,” Yugi said. 

“Yuh.”

“The news said there was a lot of accidents on the sets of her movies.”

He felt Yami’s surprise and disturbance at that news, and saw Tea look over at him sharply. Candy’s expression grew harder, like she was sizing up Yugi’s reason for asking about them.

“Been some, yuh.”

“I didn’t know that,” Tea said, looking extremely worried. “Is this safe?”

“Everythin’s got it’s risks,” Candy said. “I tol’ ya, Erica’s a good woman. She feels terrible about any accidents, but she cain’t stop her work on account of ’em. Lots of people get hurt in cars, but they don’t stop making ’em. She takes lots of precautions, but sometimes things happen.” 

“How often have things happened?” Tea pressed.

“Sometimes,” Candy said flatly. “Not every movie. Sometimes several a movie, sometimes none.”

Tea looked at Yugi and Joey, troubled. “Are you guys sure you ought to be doing this?”

“Of course they should be,” Tristan said. “This is awesome. So what if some accidents have happened? That doesn’t mean anything’ll happen this time.”

“That shows a lot of concern for your friends,” Tea said reproachfully.

“You worry too much. They’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, Tea, I know all about this stuff,” Joey agreed. “It really doesn’t happen that much. It’s all sensationalism, you know, draw attention to the movies. She’s made dozens of movies. Bound something’ll happen sometime or another, but that happens with lots of movies. And we’re not going to be doing stunts or whatever, you know. Just the acting, the dialogue. You saw, the stunt was done by those two siblings. If anybody’s going to get hurt, it’s them. We’ll be fine, don’t worry about us!”

“Well… if you’re sure.”

“Doesn’t matter, he wouldn’t change his mind anyway,” Tristan said. 

“Damn right.”

Yami looked at Yugi directly in the eyes. Yugi offered him an uneasy smile.

*****

It wasn’t long before they were finished eating. For the first time, Joey was finished before anyone else. Despite the fact that he ate like the end of the world was coming, Joey generally ate so much that he was always still eating when others were done, but now he was so excited that even his monstrous appetite was curbed. He fidgeted impatiently while the rest ate at their own pace, asking Candy endless questions about Erica, her movies, and what it was like working on the set. 

“Always busy, most times,” Candy said. “There’s lots of people here ‘n’ they’s always hungry. I gots me some assistants, thank the Good Lord, but both of them’s on breaks. Always a real test for my skills, but that’s the way I like it. Always findin’ new things to cook up. Cain’t really tell you too much about anythin’ else here, ’cause I don’t do nothin’ but the cooking. Sometimes on break I go and watch the filmin’, but I don’t like the blood much.”

“So how did you get in with a famous horror movie director if you don’t like horror movies?” Daisy asked. “I mean, I’m not a huge fan either, but she just found me in the street.”

“Oh, pretty much how it always hep’ns in this business. Connections. I was a small-time cook workin’ back home and sometimes doin’ fairs and whatnot when Joanna’s brother moved to Texas and became a good friend a’mine. When Erica was just startin’ out, she wanted a caterer, and couldn’t afford no one expensive, so Adam told her and Joanna I had the best food he ever tasted, and she came out and agreed and here I am.”

Finally, everyone was done eating and Joey urged them up to head over to Marie’s. As Yugi looked at the huge array of dishes and utensils from the six of them eating, he offered to help Candy clean up. She laughed.

“Aww, well, ain’t you sweet. It’s my job, honey. You go on and get your’n started. You don’t want to make Erica mad, no, sir.” Yugi blinked, and Candy smiled brightly. “She might be a nice lady and a great boss, but, well, you don’t make tons’a famous movies without gettin’ a little bit used to gettin’ yer own way, now do ya?” 

“Come on, Yug!” Joey whined petulantly. 

“All right, Joey, I’m coming. Thanks again, Candy.”

“You have yerself a good time, ya hear, honey?”

Yugi joined the rest of the group and headed back toward Marie’s makeup trailer. It was an enormous dull silver house on wheels, larger than most mobile homes. The main door, side door, and all of the windows were open. Lounging outside, smoking a cigarette, was Mark, showing a vice he’d hadn’t shown before. He was devoid of makeup, because his character was not in use yet. 

“Hey, guys. They just got done with the others.”

“Is that the rest of them?” Marie’s girlish voice proceeded her in the doorway. She was wiping her hands on a stained towel. “Good. I don’t have to send Joanna to go get you. Come on, the two of you with parts in the crash. The rest, you all hang out, okay?”

Yugi and Joey climbed up the steps into the trailer. Ishio was standing at the far end by the window. Bright red was smeared down the right side of his face and splattered on his shirt. He was standing, unsurprisingly, with his arms folded across his chest. Rin still sat in a revolving chair, Joanna leaning over her and applying the last bit of red to her knuckles, as if she had hurt her hand in the fake car accident. Sota stood off to the other side, fiddling with his red-stained shirt. His bottom lip appeared to have been split open, spilling blood down his chin. Nadia, though also with light-softening makeup on her face, looked normal except for her hair in disarray. 

“Okay, Rin, you’re all done,” Marie said. 

Joanna, still silent, stepped back. Rin got to her feet, moving out of the way to stand near Sota. Marie patted the armrest of the second chair that was empty in front of a bank of mirrors and bright lights. 

“Yugi, here with me, Joey, sit there with Joanna.”

Yugi walked over to the chair and climbed up into it while Joey bounced eagerly into the other chair, nearly upsetting Joanna’s free-standing makeup tray as he hit it with his hip. She saved it from tipping over, but smiled at Joey’s big grin. Marie turned to Yugi, putting her foot on a pedal and pumping it to raise Yugi up, the chair exactly like the one found at a barber’s. 

“Hope you don’t mind getting your shirts all messed up,” Sota said. “They didn’t tell us that part.”

“Yeah, sorry, honey,” Marie said dismissively. “We would have had costumes for you guys,” she added to Yugi and Joey, “but one of the new assistants to the costume designer borked his job and they’re not arriving until tomorrow morning and Erica wanted to get started. Every delay is more time lost, after all. Don’t worry, she’s going to pay you for the clothes.”

“Who cares?” Joey said quickly. “It’s no big deal, it’s just a shirt.”

Marie laughed. Joanna didn’t react, instead just started dipping a cotton ball in a jar of something. She leaned forward and started smearing the pale semi-solid on Joey’s face. 

“Foundation,” Marie explained, picking up her own jar and cotton ball. “It’ll take the sheen off your skin under the stage lights and even your skin tone.” 

She turned to Yugi and raised the cotton ball, beginning to add foundation to Yugi’s face. The makeup was heavy and odd-feeling on Yugi’s skin, but he didn’t complain. After the foundation was added to Yugi’s face and even his neck, she picked up what even Yugi could name; a compact. Powder was added, then Marie picked up another jar and bent closer. For several minutes, she dabbed something on Yugi’s forehead, then stepped back and picked up something red from the collection of jars and another small dabbing sponge. 

“Pity I have to mess up your pretty face,” Marie said absently as she started putting the red gunk on Yugi’s forehead. “Good thing it’s only temporary.”

Yugi struggled not to blush, suddenly glad for the heavy makeup on his cheeks. He saw Joey looking at him in the mirror and glared when Joey waggled his eyebrows and winked. Joanna, still oddly silent, was adding a small cut to Joey’s cheek, and she leaned back as he made faces. 

“Marie, can you tell him he shouldn’t move?” Joanna said, speaking for the first time. Her voice had a pleasant English accent, which was also the language she spoke in. Yugi guessed the reason she had been silent so far was that she couldn’t speak in Japanese, and didn’t realize the rest of them were bilingual, which Marie informed her of right then. “Oh. Well, then, don’t move.”

“Sorry,” Joey said with a grin. 

“You can tease Yugi about Marie coming on to him when I’m done,” Joanna added, earning a pleasantly surprised laugh from Joey, a squeak from Yugi, and a glare from Marie. 

“How do you know what I said? You don’t speak Japanese.”

“He’s over here winking and that one’s blushing. It’s not hard to guess.”

“Well, excuse me, telling him he’s cute isn’t coming on to him,” Marie said, waving the red-tipped dabbing sponge.

“Right, right, sorry, love. I forgot, it’s Kevin you have the hots for.”

“Enough!” Marie snapped. “You know he’s engaged, so quit it already.”

“Yes, but he’s not married yet, I say you still have a chance.”

“You’re awful! Don’t you know what engaged means?”

“I come from London, love, our education system’s much better than you Yanks’. Don’t *you* know it’s not legal until--”

“Come off it, Joanna. Just because you’ll ‘shag’,” she made derisive quotation marks with her fingers, “any ‘bloke’ who gives you a smile--”

“Yes, and I’m much happier than you, so you ought to try it sometime.”

Marie noticed everyone else uncomfortably shifting and looking around and glared back at Joanna. “See, is this the sort of professionalism you show in Merry Ol’ England? You want this getting back to Erica?”

“We won’t--” Sota started.

“Hang on,” Joanna interrupted, “You’re accusing me of being unprofessional? Look at that wound on Yugi’s forehead, it’ll be clear as day it’s fake.”

“Uh-oh,” Nadia whispered as the tension in the room doubled. 

“*I* am not done,” Marie said with venom. 

“Clearly,” Joanna said snidely. 

“Uh, ladies--” Sota started, then went silent as both women glared at him. He looked down at the floor and fidgeted until they turned back to each other. 

“You are *my* assistant, Joanna, I deserve some respect.”

“You’ll get your respect, love, when you give me a reason to give it.”

“How about not being fired?” Marie growled. 

“Oh, please, what would you do without me?”

“Get my work done without you mentally fixing me up with every swinging dick that walks by.”

Yugi was struggling not to squirm, despite how terribly uncomfortable he was, so that the women’s attention wouldn’t focus on him. Next to him, Joey had his fist in his mouth and he realized that his boyfriend was struggling not to burst into childish giggles. In the mirror, he could see Rin, Nadia, and Sota looking as uncomfortable as he did, while Ishio was glaring at the pair with such malignant disgust, he could probably cause them cancer. Marie abruptly turned back to Yugi, making him twitch instinctively, but she was just leaning over him to add some more red to his forehead. 

Joanna saw Joey nearly breaking a rib trying to hold in his laughter, and she gave him a wicked grin. Clearly she approved of his reaction. Winking at him, she picked up a piece of latex and leaned back over him, beginning to affix it to Joey’s cheek. 

“Stop smiling,” she said. “It’s hard to get it to stick like that.”

“Sorry,” Joey said, clearly trying to make his features smooth. 

Marie rolled her eyes and then picked up a small bottle and started adding what the mirror revealed to be streaks of blood running down his face from the wound on his forehead. She carefully diverted the trickles from Yugi’s eyes, told him the stuff was going in his mouth, and let it run over his lips. It ended up tasting like cherry Kool-aid, at least. 

“There,” she said, stepping back and setting the small bottle of red liquid on the counter. “What do you think?”

Yugi studied his full face in the mirror. On his forehead, just slight to the right of the center of his forehead, was what looked like a small cut in his skin. Thin red trickles ran from the wound down his face, dripping off his chin and staining the collar of his shirt. It looked eerily real, as if he’d really been struck in the face.

Joanna leaned over to Yugi and stared at the wound Marie had finished.

“Mind getting your nose out of my business?” Marie asked. 

“Yugi, I do hope you won’t take her work as standard for all of us.”

Marie glared at Joanna, who smiled provokingly. Marie shifted, her jaw clenched, and slowly put the red-tipped sponge she was still holding down on the counter. She turned fully to Joanna and stepped toward her until they were an inch apart. Yugi watched nervously.

“Ladies, it’s okay,” Yugi said. “Marie, the wound looks great.”

“Stay out of this, lovey,” Joanna said without taking her gaze from Marie. The women were staring each other down like a pair of dogs about to attack. 

Even Joey wasn’t amused now. He stood up, about to intervene, but he was saved by Erica arriving in the trailer. She climbed aboard without announcement, paused in the doorway, and surveyed the scene. Her response wasn’t expected.

“Ladies, again? Don’t you think this joke has gotten old?”

“Joke?” Joey repeated.

Marie and Joanna sighed theatrically. In an instant, the tension was gone as if it had never been there. “Erica, way to ruin it,” Marie whined.

“I should have warned you,” Erica said to the puzzled group. “These two like to pretend to criticize each other’s work and then get into a fistfight to freak out the new ones.”

“You take all the fun out of it,” Joanna said as everyone relaxed. 

“It’s childish and you should know better,” Erica said without the slightest trace of anger. “Now, are you done with them, or not?”

“’Course we are,” Joanna said, waving toward the group. “We’re professionals first.”

“Right.” She gave the group a cursory looking over, then nodded. “Looks good, ladies. All right, boys and girls, come on.”

She turned and exited the make up trailer. Yugi got out of his chair, seeing that Joanna and Marie were now standing against the counter with their arms around each other’s shoulders like the best of friends, grinning. He offered them a weak smile back, and was glad to exit the trailer out into the sunshine, Joey on his heels. Tea gasped when she saw the wounds on their faces.

“That looks too real,” she said, leaning down to peer closely at Yugi’s forehead. 

“Yeah,” Tristan said, looking at the fake cut on Joey’s cheek. “Too bad it’s not real, though. You could use the scar, Joey.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, if you and Yugi ever break up and you try to date someone else, you’ll need *something* to attract people. Your looks and personality sure aren’t enough.”

Joey growled and swung at him. Tristan laughed and dodged easily. Tea sighed and rolled her eyes. 

“Here we are getting all the flak from Erica,” came Joanna’s voice behind them. “And these two do the exact same thing.”

“I wasn’t playing,” Joey said, switching to English for her. He put his arm around Yugi’s waist possessively. “He stands still long enough, I’ll knock his block off.”

Everyone, even Marie and Joanna, could tell that Joey wasn’t serious. The two women were the only ones close enough to the group to have heard the exchange. Erica was walking away toward the set, already a distant figure, and Ishio was behind her, walking hunched over like he was trying to ward off any attempts to talk to him while Nadia, Rin, and Daisy were examining the fake injury on Rin’s hand and exclaiming over how real it looked, and Mark and Sota were standing at the far corner of the trailer, speaking about something Yugi was too far away to catch.

“So, you two are together?” Joanna asked, waving her hand between Yugi and Joey. “Pity. All the hot ones are gay.” Joey blushed to the roots of his hair as she gazed at him. 

“Even if they weren’t, you’re way too old for either of them,” Marie said with a big grin. 

“Oh, come off it, pumpkin, they already know we’re faking.”

“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t telling the truth.”

Joanna threw her arm around Marie’s shoulder. “You’re two years older than me, so what does that mean for you?”

The pair were starting to walk toward the set after Erica and Ishio. The trio of girls, Mark, and Sota looked up and hurried to join the rest as they started off back toward the cars. Marie and Joanna were still good-naturedly arguing.

“It means I’m wise enough and mature enough to know when I’m too old for someone,” Marie said. “I don’t much like the idea of dating someone I could have had in high school.”

“That’s the fun!” Joanna said. “Nice, young bloke with the stamina to show a girl a real good time.” She flashed another wicked grin over her shoulder at Yugi, as if she knew exactly how embarrassing the conversation was to him. He was glad when Yami distracted him.

//Aibou, that injury is disturbingly realistic,// he said. //I don’t like it.//

/It’s just make up and latex./

//Yes, but it looks like you’re injured, you and Joey both. That makes me uncomfortable.//

Yugi smiled sweetly at his dark half. /Then maybe you shouldn’t come watch us make this movie, then, because if Erica’s other stuff is any indication, we’re going to end up looking a lot worse than this./

Yami frowned. 

tbc...


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen:

The group made it back out to the set. Properly beaten up, the six actors in the scene split up to get into their respective cars. The Camaro sat on the side of the road, bumper dented, hood popped up out of place, but largely undamaged while the Ford was in the grass, pressed up against the tree it had crashed into. The entire front of it had been smashed in, leaving the windshield a web-work of cracks and holes, the hood crumpled like an accordion, and its own front bumper quite concave. The right front tire had started to go flat. It was not drivable.

“The four of you--” Erica indicated Yugi, Joey, Nadia, and Sota, “--get in the Camaro and hang out. Ishio, Rin, you guys get in the Ford. You’ll see lots of little Xs made of tape on the ground. You’ll be seeing lots of these. They’re the markers of where your characters are supposed to stop while you exchange lines. Each of you has your own color.” She rattled them off. “Remember them. The Camaro group will get out when you’re told, walk across the road and down the slope while Ford pair get out. All of you stop on your X. Say your lines. Then all of you get back to the Camaro and get in. Then Joey will drive to that marked tree--” She pointed to a tree with a huge red circle on it. “--and then turn around and come back. You should be able to say all your lines in time. All right, get into positions.” 

Joey and Yugi got into the front of the Camaro while Sota and Nadia got in the back. Yugi picked up the map that was on the floor and put it over his shoes so that it looked like it had slid out of his hands and off his lap when they crashed. Sota put his headphones back on and they waited for their cue.

Ishio and Rin walked down the short slope to the Ford and got in. Erica, standing behind a pair of TV monitors on which the feeds ran, raised her bullhorn. 

“Okay, we’re going to start with Rin and Ishio again. There’s three cameras now, so try not to look directly at any of them. Those in the Camaro, hang out. Your microphones are off, so feel free to talk, but make sure you pay attention for your cues.”

In addition to the huge camera on the track, now there were two men holding shoulder-mounted cameras, Vince and someone they hadn’t been introduced to. Vince went all the way down the slope and stood next to the tree the Ford had crashed into. He would get front-facing shots of what could be seen through the destroyed windshield. The unknown man stood to the right and up the slope a bit. From where he stood, Vince would be hidden from view by the car itself.

“Okay, so, we’re supposed to look like we just got into an accident,” Sota said from the backseat. “But the script only says Group recovers from accident and looks around. How are we supposed to pose?”

“I don’t know,” Joey said. “Me and Yugi look like we hit the dashboard and the steering wheel. How were you supposed to get that busted lip?”

“My character’s not wearing a seat belt. Bet I smashed into Yugi’s headrest.”

It turned out he was right and also that they were being directed exactly. Another woman who Yugi hadn’t seen before rapped smartly on his window, making him jump. He rolled down the window and she peered in. In English, speaking in short sentences, she directed them to all move forward in slow motion until their faces were against the respective areas their characters struck, then push themselves upright without making any noises, while trying to look like they were dazed. The footage would then be sped up later to look more real, but this would show them striking without actually hurting themselves. The unnamed shoulder-mounted cameraman had come over and now the Monster was aligned with their car. They did the slow-motion take several times until Erica gave the all-clear from back up the hill. Then they did several takes of making grunts and gasps for the audio to be added to the video. Yugi felt supremely stupid sitting still in his seat while he tried to sound like he’d just whacked his forehead on the dashboard. 

They eventually passed, and then it was on to the next scene. The four of them asked each other if they were okay before Nadia pointed out the Ford and the group got out to check on the other two. Almost all of them missed their Xs and had to start over. It was hard to stop at the right place without looking down, but finally they managed. Once they had, they started on their lines again. Ishio’s character loudly, and foully, yelled at Joey’s character for causing the crash. 

Yugi didn’t think Ishio had to reach too far into make-believe to come out sounding that hateful. He also didn’t think Joey had to dig very deep to find the desire to try and get into a fight with Ishio. The rest of the group got them to back off and cool down. 

“There’s a gas station about six miles back that way,” Rin said, pointing up the road from the direction the Ford had come from. “Take us up there and we’ll call someone to come tow us.”

The six of them crammed into the Camaro. Rin practically sat in Yugi’s lap and, in character, kept gazing at him with interest. Yugi, both in reality and in character, was a little embarrassed by her silent appraisal. Joey drove the damaged Camaro up the road.

In the back, Sota’s and Ishio’s characters got into another argument that Joey’s joined. Ishio was insisting the group would pay for any damages and the tow, while Sota said it was an accident and that was what insurance was for. When Ishio said he didn’t have any insurance, Joey chimed in that that was his problem. In the end, Yugi told Ishio that of course the policy on the Camaro would cover the Ford as it was Joey’s fault, earning him a lot of silent anger from Joey. Rin told Yugi that he was very nice, in a manner a bit more warm than was warranted, embarrassing Yugi’s character again.

Finished with the scene, Joey turned around and they brought the Camaro back to the starting point, then started all over again. The second time, Rin ended up accidentally ruining the take by calling Ishio by his name. Then Sota messed one up by forgetting his line.

“You just said it twice,” Ishio said in clear disgust. 

“Excuse me,” Sota snapped, clearly humiliated. “Accidents happen.” It was the line and he said it sneeringly. 

“Do you always have to be such a jerk?” Nadia asked Ishio.

“That’s enough!” Erica suddenly barked over the bullhorn, making most of them jump. “Park the car, Joey.”

Joey did so and they all watched as Erica came stalking down the hill.

“Uh-oh,” Sota said.

Yugi rolled down his window again as it was on his side that Erica was coming. Erica stopped right outside the car and folded her arms.

“Enough fighting. You are all adults here. Mistakes are going to happen and we are going to be filming scenes again and again and again. Most if not every one of them. You are all human and you will forget your lines, you will misspeak, you will look into the camera, you will overact or fall flat. Ishio, you will, too, so cut the others a break. All of you quit snarking at each other and learn to work together. I do not want to, but if I have to, I will fire you. Is that clear?”

They all nodded, Yugi avoiding Erica’s gaze. He was aware that neither he nor Rin had actually been a part of any of the fighting, but they were included in the chastising as a warning, so he didn’t dare point that out. 

“Good. Joey, put the car back at the starting point. Let’s start again.”

She walked off. The group was silent as Joey drove the car back and turned around. They started off again and this time nailed the scene perfectly. Erica brought them back and had them get out and this time, she was smiling.

“See? A little telling off and you straighten right up. There really is a gas station we’re heading to, but it’s fifteen miles away, not six. All of you get onto the bus and we’ll head out there. We’re towing the Camaro. It’s probably safe to drive that far, but I’d rather not risk it. Yugi, Joey, your friends are welcome to get on the bus. It’ll be crowded, but you’ll fit. Or they can follow in their car.”

Yami, Tristan, and Tea had been watching with Daisy and Mark a short distance from the monitors where the footage played. The three of them opted to join the rest on the bus. Tea exclaimed over the bus and Tristan griped about missing out again. 

It was a bit more crowded to have ten people instead of seven surrounding the table, but no one seemed to want to sit with Ishio, who had plunked himself down on the loveseat again. He hadn’t said an unscripted word since the dressing down and now seemed to be ignoring everyone. 

Once they’d been seated, Yugi between Yami and Joey, Sota suddenly started asking Yami more questions about who he was.

“You two look like you could be brothers, except you’re, well, um, tanner,” he said to Yami. “Are you Japanese?”

“I am Yugi’s cousin,” Yami said, lying calmly. “I am from Egypt.”

Rin was instantly interested. “Oh, I love Egypt. Ancient Egypt. I’ve visited twice. The Pyramids at Giza are so beautiful. I wish I could have seen them back when they were first built! Imagine how they must have looked.”

Yami actually predated the Pyramids. His great-grandfather had been Menes, the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt. Yami had died over four hundred years before the first pyramid had even been started. Yugi wondered what Rin would think if she knew that.

“Did you get that necklace there?” she asked, pointing at the Puzzle around Yami’s neck. 

The separation of their souls hadn’t copied another Puzzle, and Yugi had insisted Yami take possession. It had been forged in Egypt, made for Yami’s father, and Yugi already had a taste of what it was like not having it anymore, after the Ceremonial Duel. Kaiba chasing Yami into the Afterlife after the fiasco with Diva had been what had sparked their relationship turning slowly from rivalry to romance, and he’d given the Puzzle over to Yami upon his awakening a year ago.

“Yes, I did,” Yami said.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” 

“At least that tells me why I haven’t seen you before,” Sota said. “Are you any good at Duel Monsters? Like Yugi is?”

“I have played a little,” Yami said, keeping a completely straight face. 

Somehow, the other four in the loop managed to do the same.

******

At the gas station, the group offloaded the bus. The Camaro had been pulled by a pick up and stood at one of the pumps. The gas station was connected to a diner, and Yugi felt his stomach suddenly do a somersault. The diner was where Rin’s character was supposed to really make it obvious to Yugi’s that she was interested in him.

//Aibou?// Undoubtedly, his sudden emotional change had been picked up on by Yami. //Is something wrong?//

/Um…/ Yugi hastily told Yami about the upcoming scene.

//Oh. I see. You could simply pretend you are talking to Joey.//

Yugi looked over at Rin, who was chatting with Daisy, Nadia, and Tea. Dressed more modestly, she still gave Mai Valentine a run for her money. /I don’t know if my imagination is that good./

Yami’s mouth quirked. 

“Okay, boys and girls,” Erica said. She had climbed out of one of the caravan of vehicles that had preceded the bus. “It’s getting pretty late. By the time we get set up, all we’re going to be able to do now is film all of you getting out of the vehicle and splitting up. Remember the scene?”

They did. While Yami, Tea, and Tristan joined Daisy and Mark off to the side, the other six piled back into the Camaro. Yugi watched with interest at how quickly the movie folks set up for the scene. A great deal of equipment had already been there before they ever arrived, such as stage lights and props, but the monitors, mikes, and cameras were assembled at a rapid pace. Still, it was clear that it was getting late and a glance at the clock on the dashboard of the Camaro showed it was almost three in the afternoon. Erica had told them they’d finish the days around four, before the sun started heading down towards setting. In October, it was light until six, but still the light would probably be different enough to mess up the timing of the scenes.

After the cameras and mikes were ready to go, the six of them started their scene. They climbed out of the Camaro, then assessed their situation. The gas station and diner were tiny and fairly ill-kept. There were four gas pumps and two were out of order. One of the lights in the canopy and two of the letters of the neon sign of the diner, which was creatively called “Diner,” were flickering. The asphalt was cracked and there were weeds growing in most of the cracks. 

“There’s still no cell service,” Nadia said as they got out, looking at her phone. 

“There has to be a pay phone,” Sota said.

“It’s probably out of order,” Ishio said sourly, his gaze on the out of order pump that was next to the one that the Camaro was pulled up to.

“Won’t know until we ask,” Rin said. “But I’m getting washed up.”

“Me too,” Nadia agreed. 

The girls headed toward the diner. Joey started pulling the pump hose out of its rack. “I’ll get some gas.”

Ishio walked off towards the diner himself. Sota, whose character was a heavy smoker, started heading back down the cracked asphalt drive towards the street. 

“Hey, you’re still bleeding,” Yugi called to him.

Sota pulled out his prop cigarettes, shaking one out. He grinned at Yugi. Yugi supposed that they might have to film this part over again as the fake wound did not bleed more as a real one would have if he had grinned like that with a genuine split lip. “Oh, no, it might kill me.” He stuck his cigarette in his mouth.

Yugi rolled his eyes and then turned to Joey, who was pretending to pump gas into the Camaro. “I’m going to get cleaned up, too.”

Joey nodded while Yugi started towards the diner. As he walked, he felt his heart start to race. How could he do this scene with Rin? He sometimes got flustered when Joey flirted with him in public, and they were lovers.

//Aibou, stay calm,// Yami said in his head. //I’m sure Rin is also nervous. It is all fake.//

That did not make it better. It was going to be on camera. They probably would have to do it several times over, just like Erica had said they would. They were doing it in front of his friends. People in the theaters would see it.

“Cut!” Erica’s amplified voice echoed against the pumps, the canopy, and the diner. “Great job, guys! This movie is going to be one of the easiest I’ve ever made, you guys are great. Come on back.”

Ishio, Rin, and Nadia came out of the diner they’d gone into. Yugi turned, feeling relieved. Sota came back up the drive and Joey hung up the gas hose. The six of them joined Erica at the monitors.

“Sota, Marie’s going to give you a little prop capsule of the fake blood. This is going to get tricky. I need you to put the capsule in your mouth and bite it while you smile on your line. It’ll burst and send some fake blood down your chin. It’s nontoxic, so swallow if you have to, but try to let as much as possible out.”

Sota nodded, looking a little unenthusiastic. Marie held out a capsule. It was about the size of any liquid gel capsule for medicines and filled with the fake red blood. 

The rest of the group stood back while Yugi and Sota moved back to their marks. Yugi stood on his small yellow X while Sota started from one white X to another several yards down the walk. 

“Hey, you’re still bleeding!”

Sota grinned, and he popped the capsule with his teeth as he did. The fake blood spilled over his bottom lip. Then he inhaled to say his line and promptly sucked the gelatin skin of the capsule down his windpipe.

He bent double, choking and coughing. Yugi hurried forward, joined by Erica, Marie, and most of everyone else. Before anyone but Yugi had even had a chance to reach him, he had hacked the capsule back up and spit it out, but it was clear the back of his throat had been irritated. He was red in the face, tears running down his cheeks, coughing harshly as his gag reflex worked over time. 

Marie had a bottle of water. In between coughing and gagging fits, Sota managed to swallow a couple sips of water and soothe his throat. Still red-faced and now with a running nose and eyes, he accepted the towel handed to him by Vince and cleaned up, nodding his head continuously to everyone’s questions if he was okay.

“I’m good,” he said, his voice hoarse. It made him cough again for a second, but he took another swallow of water and settled.

While Erica apologized and drew Sota over to the chairs she and other personnel sat in while the cameras were rolling, Yugi spotted Ishio smirking in amusement from next to the pick up. 

“Okay, we’re done for today,” Erica said. She had her hand on Sota’s should from where she had been rubbing it consoling as she checked yet again that he was okay. “Sota, if you’re sure you’re good, you can head back with the rest of them in the bus.”

“I’m fine,” Sota said. His voice was still hoarse, but now he seemed embarrassed by the fervent concern of the group. “Really. Who hasn’t choked before?”

“All right. I’ll see everyone back here Sunday at nine. Candy’s wagon will be here and you’ll get breakfast and then we’ll start over. Kevin and I will rewrite the scene so you--”

“You don’t have to do that,” Sota said, now even more mortified. “I can do it.”

She gazed at him. “We’ll talk it over. Like I said, accidents happen, so don’t beat yourself up. At the least, we have a good outtake.”

Sota was cheered and laughed. Erica told them to keep their dirtied-up clothes, as they were now officially their costumes, and told them arrangements were being made to reimburse them. They were to show up to set wearing the same clothes each day, until they reached any point a costume change would appear. The group broke up, the movie personnel moving to start taking in the equipment that couldn’t be left overnight and shut off the lights and the rest heading for the bus.

Erica caught up with them. “Yami, Tristan, Tea, it was nice meeting you three. However, I really don’t know if I can have you still watching.”

Tristan’s face fell. “But, aren’t there always onlookers at movie sets?”

She studied him, seeing how disappointed he was. Her lips pursed thoughtfully. 

Tea chimed in. “You don’t have to keep feeding us and driving us. We take care of that. But, please, can’t we keep watching for Yugi and Joey? Moral support?”

Erica’s expression grew more intense. She was clearly thinking it over. Finally, she nodded. “All right. I guess if any of the rest of you have some friends or family members who want to come watch, you can bring them along.” As Tristan whooped, she raised a warning finger. “But you are all going to keep quiet. Both on the set and about the movie. No spoilers. I am not joking at all when I say that if I find out anyone has leaked anything, I will kick you off set and I may even sue. I am serious. Is that understood?”

Everyone nodded. 

“And, when we get to any of the death scenes, I may bar any outsiders anyway.” She smiled. “I really can’t afford to have any spoilers or mess ups there. It’s really expensive to film and I also don’t need anyone getting upset watching their loved one get torn to bits.”

tbc...


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen:

The group got on the bus. There was still plenty of snacks left over and since lunch had ended up getting passed without a break, the group was all getting hungry again. Mark good-naturedly teased Sota about his mishap, tapping the bag of pretzels Sota was eating from.

“Don’t worry, I know the Heimlich maneuver.”

Sota threw a pretzel at him while the rest laughed. 

//Aibou, Erica seems to be very nice,// Yami said as he chewed on a cookie. //And I know you are still concerned about that diner scene. Perhaps you could ask her to remove it.//

/Oh, no, I couldn’t do that! Someone worked really hard on that script and they’re all set up. To ask them to change it now…/

//I understand. Then perhaps you could talk with Rin instead. I am sure she is also nervous.//

Yugi doubted it, himself. He had a feeling that Rin was actually a bit pleased that it was Yugi who she was paired up with, on top of not seeming to be the shy type. It made him feel strange. For years, he’d been the tiny, young-looking kid who was outpaced by all of his fellow students. He’d been the one who was ignored if not outright bullied. But since meeting Yami, everything for him seemed to have changed. People had noticed him for better reasons. He’d gained friends and he’d even been flirted with by beautiful girls like Mai and Vivian. It was Yami’s personality and confidence they’d all seen, but it was his body. He wondered what it meant.

They were taken back to the Inn where any personal belongings had been stored. Then they all went home, but Yugi and Joey opted to catch a ride back to hotel with Tristan, Tea, and Yami. 

“What do you guys think is going to happen next?” Tristan asked, as they drove.

“Erica said we couldn’t spoil anything,” Yugi said.

“Aw, come on, man.”

“You heard him,” Tea said. “They’re on a contract. They have to keep quiet.”

Knowing that Joey had been about discuss anything and everything, Yugi looked at him sternly and said, “That’s right.”

He frowned and sighed. “Sorry, Tristan.”

“Man, that stinks.”

“We have been invited back,” Yami pointed out. “Although Aibou and Joey know the next scene, you will not have to wait long to find out.”

Yugi had forgotten he’d just told Yami about the next scene himself. He guiltily looked at his shoes.

“Yeah,” Joey agreed. “Besides, we only know up to the end of the first Act anyway. She’s keeping it all secret from us, too.”

“Is that normal?” Tea asked. “I thought actors got like the whole script to read before they decided on accepting.”

“It’s not normal, it’s Erica’s way. Remember, she just picked us by looks. She told us we only get the first Act until it’s all filmed. Said that way, we won’t get upset knowing that it’s our character who gets killed off first and quit.”

“But you’ll see the second Acts anyway, right? So, if you do end up being one of the deaths, what’s stopping you from getting upset then and quitting after she spent all that time filming you for the first part?”

“I don’t know,” Joey admitted. 

“It seems to work, at any rate,” Yugi said. “She’s done over twenty movies. There was a girl who disappeared once during filming, Katie Macklin--”

“Mackey,” Joey corrected.

“--Mackey, and Erica still got the movie made.”

Tea turned around in her seat to stare back at him. Yami, too, was staring at the side of his head. “You said that before, at Candy’s. That there were a lot of accidents and stuff.”

“Don’t start on that again,” Joey said before Yugi could respond. “Tristan and I know all about this stuff, don’t we, Tristan? There were some accidents and a couple of people died--”

“Died!”

“--that probably would’ve died anyway,” Joey went on, now speaking very firmly. “One was a chick who got cheated on, killed herself and her boyfriend. He was already cheatin’ and she was already nuts--”

“She killed herself, Joey, you could have some compassion!”

“--and so it probably would have happened anyway.” Joey’s voice was even harder. “One died in a plane crash. One died in a car accident. Those ain’t Erica’s fault. And I bet some of it’s made up anyway. Just hype to make people want to see the movie even more.”

He’d said the same thing to Yugi. He also had mentioned a lot more accidents to Yugi than he was to the others. But he was also right; the only two deaths that Yugi remembered happening directly at the sets were the car crash and the girl who was hung. Both were accidents, stunts gone wrong. Yugi also knew that stunt actors died during their scenes in other movies, too. They were stunt actors; they did dangerous things for a living and sometimes it didn’t go as planned. Joey was being insensitive, but not incorrect.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it seemed like an awful wide swath of blood trailing Erica Lynch’s movie company. 

******

At home, he and Joey had a quick dinner. As they were preparing for bed later, Joey drew Yugi’s attention.

“So, spill, Yug’. What’s got you all out of sorts?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Spiky, I know you. You got something on your mind. What’s up?”

Yugi hesitated, then said, “Well, there’s that scene in the diner’s bathroom…”

Joey blinked, clearly not remembering for a second. “What, washing up?”

“No. The one with Yuki. Rin’s character.”

“Wha--Oh! Oh, yeah. What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Joey, I’m supposed to try to flirt! On camera!” He almost added ‘with a girl’ but it wouldn’t have mattered if Rin was a man. Both Yugi and Joey were both bisexual, but had been together for so long that he sometimes almost forgot. Rin was beautiful, she was nice, she was smart, but even if Yugi hadn’t been devoted to Joey, he never would have been able to flirt with her or anyone else. That was not his forte. He hadn’t even been able to flirt with Tea back when he’d had a crush on her and she wasn’t a stranger.

“Well, just--”

“Don’t tell me to pretend I’m talking to you, because I wouldn’t be able to do that. Yami already suggested it and I know it won’t work.”

“Hang on.” Joey left the bedroom and trotted downstairs. Yugi heard him rummaging in the drawer of the sideboard where they kept all their paid bills, tax forms, old checkbooks, and other paper detritus before he came back. In his hand were the two copies of script. He held Yugi’s out to him. “We’re going to practice.”

Yugi took his script, but looked at Joey dubiously. “Practice?”

“Yeah. I’ll read Rin’s lines and you read yours. Not only will you hear it all out loud and can see how you sound, but, you know, maybe hearing ME say the lines means you will be able to pretend it’s me.”

Yugi was still doubtful, but he appreciated Joey’s attempt. Taking a breath, he flipped to the page in question and read the set up. Jason was standing at the sinks, washing the blood from his face and hands. Yuki came in, startling Jason. 

“Why not go into the bathroom, Yug’?” Joey asked. “Set it up the right way.”

Well, it made sense. Yugi walked into the bathroom next to the bedroom, but didn’t turn on the faucet. He just pretended to be washing up. After a moment, Joey walked in, holding the script up in his hand. Yugi had memorized his lines, though he still had the script set on the toilet tank where he could read it. 

“Um, this is the men’s,” Yugi recited, trying to sound embarrassed.

“The ladies’ is full,” Joey said. He smiled at Yugi’s reflection in the mirror. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“N-No, of course not. I’ll just be one more second.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I can wait,” Joey said. He stepped up closer behind Yugi, the way Rin was supposed to. 

Yugi looked back down at the sink, pretending to hastily be washing his hands.

“You weren’t too badly hurt, were you?” Joey murmured. 

Yugi felt a blush start on his cheeks. He suddenly couldn’t remember if Jason was supposed to blush and he didn’t look. Joey’s voice had lowered to a low, rumbling pitch. A flirting pitch. 

“No,” Yugi said. “You are okay, too, right?”

“I’m fine,” Joey said softly. “Just a little shaken up.”

Yugi nodded and turned around. 

“It was very nice of you to take my brother and me here,” Joey said. “But we don’t have a way to call for any more help. You know, there was an Inn Akira and I passed before the accident. Do you think maybe you and your friends could take us there? We could get a room if we needed to.”

Yugi felt his cheeks heat up further. He knew what the line had meant, but what Joey had made it sound like…

“Sure. I mean, it’s only fair.”

“You’re so nice,” Joey cooed. His hand came up and pushed back Yugi’s bangs, his eyes on his forehead like he was looking at the wound Yugi’s character would have. Then he dropped his gaze to Yugi’s. “And I’m really glad you’re not hurt.”

Yugi completely forgot what was supposed to come next. He twisted to the right, fumbling for his copy of the script. He almost dropped it, caught a page, and raised it, going back to the correct scene. He scanned the lines before finally finding the next part. 

“I’m glad you’re not hurt either. I would feel terrible.”

He looked up again and saw Joey grin wickedly at him. “You have the prettiest eyes,” he said in a horrible, screeching falsetto.

Yugi gaped at him, then started hitting him with his script while laughing. Joey fended him off, backing up. 

“That doesn’t help!” Yugi said indignantly, still smiling. “She actually says that and now I’m going to be picturing you saying it that way!”

“Sorry,” Joey said without the slightest trace of remorse. “But you were blushing like a tomato.”

“I know! How am I supposed to do this with Rin when I can’t even do it with you?”

“Yug’, come on, relax. It’s just fake.” He reached out and pushed Yugi back into position. “Just don’t blush so much. Jason seems caught off guard, but you’re acting like a school girl with the quarterback.”

Yugi glared at him. “You used to blush all the time around Mai.”

Joey cleared his throat. “That wasn’t fake. Come on, try again. If you practice it, it won’t be so embarrassin’. Even if you got Rin with you. Do it with me again, and you’ll see; it’ll be like you were just dueling me.”

That was not at all what it would be like, but Yugi sighed and turned back to the sink. They ran through the scene again and Yugi just couldn’t help it. He pictured Rin coming up behind him the way Joey was and it just made him blush. His mind raced. How close was Rin supposed to get? Oh, god, what were their characters supposed to do later?

Joey grinned at his reflection again. “You’re still blushing.”

“Maybe if you weren’t so close,” Yugi said through his teeth.

Joey laughed and stepped even closer. Yugi gasped, because Joey was near enough now that he could feel his pelvis against his rear. There was a pause as Yugi stared at Joey in the mirror and Joey stared back, sobering.

“You’re supposed to turn around here, Yug’,” Joey murmured.

Yugi did so and Joey was very close. His boyfriend towered over him a bit more than Rin would. Even leaning back a little against the sink, Yugi’s nose was about six inches from Joey’s chest and their hips were a lot closer than that.

“I…I don’t think this is part of the script,” Yugi said weakly.

“Maybe we can improvise,” Joey said, leaning closer. 

Yugi fumbling grabbed the edge of the sink for balance and shivered as Joey kissed him. He let go of the sink with one hand and cupped the back of Joey’s head, kissing him back as Joey pressed against him. The script in his other hand crumpled in his grip against the edge of the sink, but he didn’t pay any attention. 

Joey’s tongue pushed into his mouth and he moaned. He dropped the script and reached for the hem of Joey’s shirt with both hands, pulling it up and over Joey’s head and down his arms as they broke apart briefly. Yugi tossed the shirt down on the floor and ran his hands along the blond’s muscled chest, pressing his mouth to a pec before he stood on his toes for another kiss. Joey pulled down the zipper on Yugi’s pants, his hand pushing in without even undoing the button and belt. Yugi groaned as Joey rubbed him through his underwear, his other hand groping his backside, his tongue in his mouth again. Rubbing his hands along his back, Yugi scratched his nails and felt Joey shiver. Yugi tilted his head back in invitation. Joey bit at his neck through the collar with a frustrated growl and Yugi hastily reached up to undo it and let it drop behind him into the sink. 

“Don’t leave a mark,” Yugi gasped as Joey ran his tongue up the length of his throat. “We’re on camera again in two days.”

“Hide it with your collar,” Joey responded, but his teeth were gentle when he nibbled. 

Yugi reached down and grabbed Joey’s belt buckle, undoing his pants and pushing them down his legs. He undid his own fastenings and stepped out of his pants. Joey reached under his thighs and lifted him up, turning around and walking with Yugi to the bedroom. He muttered an apology when he accidentally bumped Yugi into the doorjamb.

Joey laid Yugi down on the bed and crawled up over him as Yugi pushed himself up. He cried out as Joey suddenly bent and mouthed him through his boxers. A tingle ran up his spine. As Joey sucked on his balls through the cotton, Yugi closed his eyes and rolled his head back against the mattress, one hand tangled in Joey’s hair, the other skimming over his own chest, rucking up his shirt. 

Joey hooked his fingers in the waistband of Yugi’s boxers and pulled them down his legs before backing off the bed to take off his own. Yugi rolled over onto his hip and then twisted his torso to reach for the drawer of the nightstand on Joey’s side of the bed. He rummaged in the eclectic mess of junk to grab the lube.

The bed shook as Joey crawled back up, on his side and pressed against Yugi’s back. Yugi turned his head and Joey kissed him, reaching to take the lube. He set it in reach on the bed and then grabbed the hem of Yugi’s shirt, pulling it up. Yugi took over and got it off, tossing it carelessly off the end of the bed. Then he pulled his uppermost leg up to his chest, reaching back to grab the back of Joey’s head, sucking on his tongue as Joey popped open the lube and poured some on his fingers. He stretched Yugi languidly, despite the need burning through them both, working his way down Yugi’s neck again before biting his shoulder. Yugi moaned as the first finger slid in, closing his eyes and focusing on the sensation. A second finger was gently added and they both stretched him, sliding lightly in and out while Yugi rocked slowly against them. Three fingers and they curled against his prostate, making him quake. Yugi kissed the side of Joey’s head, feeling the fingers push as deep as they could get. 

Joey withdrew his fingers and shifted, lining up. Yugi, eyes still closed, whined as Joey pushed in slowly, deeply. Joey gripped the back of his knee and pulled his leg more out instead of up, giving himself a little more room. He began to undulate his body behind Yugi in as good a rhythm as he could with them both laying on their sides. Yugi reached down and grasped his cock, stroking himself in a lazy counterpoint to Joey’s thrusts.

“Nngh, fuck, Yug’,” Joey rasped against his shoulder. 

Yugi arched back into him, squeezing himself and moaning, smearing precum down his shaft. Joey’s angle was perfect, the rhythm slow and gentle as they simply enjoyed each other. Yugi turned his head and nuzzled Joey until he lifted his head and kissed him. They made out while moving lazily, the bed barely making any noise. The hand behind Yugi’s knee pulled his leg out a little more and he groaned into Joey’s mouth.

Yugi let go of himself to reach down further between his legs, teasing where they were joined, running the pad of his finger around the stretched rim and making himself whine and shudder. Joey gasped as he clenched, dropping his face back against Yugi’s shoulder. His breath was hot against his skin. 

Yugi stretched as far as he could and palmed Joey’s balls, making him growl and buck against him. Then Joey withdrew and rolled onto his back, turning and pulling Yugi up over him. Yugi situated himself on his hips, reaching down to grasp him, giving him a couple pumps and a squeeze, grinning at his expression, before he guided him back inside and slid slowly down. Biting his lip with his eyes on Joey’s, stuffed full, he began to lift and lower himself over him, bracing on his chest while Joey held his hips and steadied him. Yugi smiled, allowing his gaze to travel Joey's body. His golden lover, from his shaggy blond hair all down to the tips of his toes. Only his eyes were dark, and getting darker as he was ridden slowly. 

He coaxed him to a faster rhythm and Yugi complied, riding Joey more quickly. The slick, wet slide was building inside of him, sending pleasure shooting through every inch of his body. He whined desperately, grabbing at Joey's wrists and arching his back. One of Joey's hands left his hip and starting stroking him. 

“Joey,” Yugi whined, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. 

Joey murmured praises and swear words alternately, thrusting his hips up against Yugi as he came down, increasing the force. Their pace became hectic, the bedsprings creaking beneath them. Yugi moaned and panted, sweat sliding down his back. He bounced on Joey’s cock, feeling his thighs burning deliciously, nothing compared to the fire blazing inside. Then Joey’s thumb roughly rubbed his tip and Yugi keened and then cried out as he came.

Joey waited until Yugi stopped shuddering, the pulses between his hips easing, before he gripped his hips and rolled them over until he was on top again.

“Think you can this time?” he asked.

Yugi nodded mutely, grasping Joey’s shoulders and holding on as he began to thrust again. He was grunting, bangs sticking to his face, eyes locked on Yugi’s. Yugi dug his nails into his skin, then let go with one hand to reach down and grasp the erection that hadn’t flagged much, stroking as Joey pounded him. He was going to be able to come again the way Joey wanted, he knew it, and felt his toes curl, eyes squeezed shut of their own accord, biting his bottom lip again.

He felt Joey’s lips on his, but he could do little more than pant into Joey’s mouth as the pressure built all over again. He wrapped his free arm around Joey’s waist, clutching desperately at his back. Joey’s rhythm faltered and his thrusts turned short, sharp, and quick. Yugi jerked his head to the left, feeling Joey’s breath stirring the hair at his temple. At last he groaned right in Yugi’s ear, hips jerking sporadic and rough as he started to come. Yugi squealed and arched under him, head tossed back as he followed him, pulsing against his stomach, fingers digging bruises into Joey’s back. 

Joey collapsed on him, both of them panting harshly in the humid air. Sweaty and sticky and aching, Yugi kissed Joey’s temple. Joey lifted his head enough to kiss Yugi gently on the mouth before he rolled off, the two of them settling on their backs in the mussed sheets. Drowsy, Yugi took one of Joey’s hands and idly played with his fingers, then laced his own through them and sighed. He drifted off almost immediately.

tbc...


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen:

At supper the next day, Kaiba surprised Yugi by turning up with Yami. He greeted him genuinely happily, pleased that he’d come to spend social time. Joey was quite obviously less than enthusiastic, but he handed Kaiba a drink politely. Yugi had a roast in the oven and potatoes boiling to be mashed, but he had little hors d'oeuvres to serve, which he hadn’t been able to keep Joey out of prior to their company even showing up. The four sat in the living room for a bit, Kaiba mostly just staring while the other three chatted about inane things.

“There’s a cat on the window sill,” Yami said as he came into the kitchen when Yugi went and got the roast out of the oven.

Yugi looked up. Sure enough, wide yellow eyes were staring in through the screen. The cat that had scared Yugi on Wednesday was sitting on the sill of the window over the kitchen sink, peering in with evident hope. Yugi sighed, knowing that he’d brought this on himself. 

“I fed it on Wednesday. I guess it’s coming to see if I’ll do it again.”

“May I?”

Surprised, Yugi nodded to the refrigerator. “There’s still some ham left.”

Yami got the container and then opened the kitchen door that led out back. Yugi watched the cat turn its head to view Yami while he set the roast on the counter and then turned off the burner under the potatoes. The cat looked back at him as he came closer to the window by going to the sink to drain the potatoes, then looked at Yami again, though Yugi couldn’t see him from the angle. 

With the door still open, Yugi could hear him. He was speaking in Egyptian, sounding to be coaxing the cat down to him. It sat on the windowsill without moving. It was as skinny as before and now that he was closer to it by virtue of being right on the other side of the window, he could see that there were scars on the side of its face, thin pink lines of hairless skin and a nick in the ear on that side. 

Yami was still crooning to it. It evidently decided it could trust him, for it jumped off the sill in his direction. Yugi put the drained potatoes back into the pot, but didn’t turn on the mixer. He didn’t want to scare the cat off with the noise. Instead, he tiptoed to the door and peered out.

Yami was settled down on the bottom of the steps, leaning forward, a slice of ham in one hand, a piece torn off from that slice in the other, outstretched to the cat, who was sniffing at it cautiously. As Yugi watched, it delicately took it from Yami’s hand and wolfed it down. Yami tore another piece off and held it out. The cat didn’t come any closer, but it took the ham more readily. Yami fed it all of the slice, then simply held out his empty hand. The cat sniffed at it, then looked up at him accusatorily. Yami laughed and said something in Egyptian. 

Yugi couldn’t understand what he said. For whatever reason, he hadn’t inherited the ability to understand it the way Kaiba had. He wondered about that, and sometimes guiltily wondered if he should show more interest than he did in his dark half’s past. Yami had given it all up to stay in the future, but it was still who he was, and Yugi knew only the most basic things. Because Yami was not forthcoming by nature, Yugi didn’t know if that meant he was unwilling to delve into what had been a short and painful history.

There was one more slice of ham in the packet. Yami fed it to the cat, then held out his hand again. By this point, the cat had come right up to in front of his shoes. It sniffed his empty fingers again, then rubbed against them. Yami started petting it, saying something else to it. It’s purr was loud and it was now twining back and forth, rubbing against Yami’s legs and arching into his scratching fingers. 

Yugi smiled and stepped back into the apartment. He dumped butter and milk into the potatoes, but still didn’t start the mixer, instead popping the rolls into the oven, then went to see how Joey and Kaiba were faring.

Kaiba was up and was staring at the collection of DVDs Joey had aligned on a shelf. “You like this stuff?” he asked in a way that wasn’t really a question as he sneered at the array of horror movies interspersed with action and comedies.

“Yes,” Joey said coldly.

Kaiba snorted and pulled one of the DVDs from the shelf, turning it over to read the description on the back. He was holding his drink glass in his other hand. Joey was still sitting on the couch and glaring silently at Kaiba’s back, the hors d'oeuvres tray in front of him completely empty. 

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Yugi said. “Would you help me in the kitchen, Joey?”

Joey grunted and got to his feet, snagging the tray and coming to the kitchen. “Jerk,” he said under his breath as he passed Yugi.

Kaiba returned the DVD, then grabbed another. Yugi went out to him.

“Would you like another drink, Kaiba?”

Kaiba held his empty glass out to Yugi without a word. Yugi took it and went into the kitchen. Yes, definitely a jerk.

Joey was standing at the edge of the counter and looking outside at where Yami was still petting the cat that couldn’t seem to get enough. He was smiling fondly. Yugi set Kaiba’s glass on the counter and starting pouring another measure of Scotch in it. 

“Should take it home,” Joey said to Yami.

Yami picked up the empty ham container and stood. The cat looked up at him questioningly and Yugi took the opportunity to turn on the mixer. As expected, the noise made the cat run. 

“Hey, why’d you do that?” Joey asked Yugi as Yami came up the steps and into the kitchen.

“To make it easier for Yami to say goodbye,” Yugi said as he started mashing the potatoes.

Yami shut the door and threw the empty ham container in the trash. He went to the sink and started thoroughly washing his hands. “Seto is allergic, Joey.”

“So?” Joey asked challengingly. 

Yugi elbowed him and gave him a warning look. He rolled his eyes and then went to start setting the table. Yami took the Scotch Yugi had poured and went into the living room. Yugi finishing mashing the potatoes and then took the rolls out of the oven and turned it off. He got out the pre-made salad and he and Joey transferred the food. Yugi went to the doorway to the living room, intending to call the other two to supper. He found the pair of them by the shelves, Kaiba still holding a DVD in his hand. He was saying something low to Yami and whatever it was he said actually made Yami laugh. 

Yugi felt Joey come up behind him and he saw him peering over his shoulder into the living room.

“That’s why so,” Yugi said softly.

Joey made a face, but turned back into the dining room without a word. Yugi told the others supper was ready and the four of them settled in the dining room. Kaiba immediately went silent, simply eating his salad without really looking at anyone, while Yami asked after Yugi’s mother and then Joey’s sister. Yugi then asked Kaiba about Mokuba and got about a three word reply. 

After dinner, Joey talked Yami into playing a three-way duel with himself and Yugi, while Kaiba sipped his Scotch and watched. The three of them were kneeling on the floor around the coffee table while Kaiba sat on the couch. Yugi had invited him to join, but he’d merely said there was no reason to. Figuring Joey would be about to try to goad Kaiba, Yugi immediately began the duel to distract him.

Joey held his own pretty good for a bit, but Yugi and Yami were both playing to win and he was knocked out, leaving the pair in a long back and forth. Joey good naturedly cheered them both on, and for a moment it seemed like Yugi had Yami’s back against the wall, but then Yami pulled a complicated card maneuver that destroyed Yugi’s defense and left him open for a life-point stealing trouncing. As Yami gathered up his cards, Yugi saw Kaiba smirking behind him.

“You changed your deck,” Yugi said as he gathered up his own. 

“Yes,” Yami said simply as he put his new deck into his jacket. He settled back onto the couch beside Kaiba. “Seto gave me some new cards.”

Abruptly, Kaiba sneezed. He pulled a handkerchief out of his trench coat and sneezed again. Yami’s mouth opened in horror and he leaned back from Kaiba. 

“When did you get a cat?” Kaiba asked Yugi with surprising calmness.

“Um, I didn’t. There’s a stray out back.”

“I was petting it,” Yami said as he scooted further down the couch from Kaiba, making Joey have to get up. “But I washed my hands.”

Kaiba sneezed again. “I bet it was rubbing on you.” Sneeze. “It’s on your clothes.”

“I’m sorry, Seto.”

Kaiba sneezed yet again, then jerked to his feet. He went out the front door where Yugi heard him sneeze on the porch. Yami had also gotten to his feet and pulled on his jacket. 

“I need to get him home,” he said as Yugi went with him to the door.

“Is he going to be okay?” Yugi asked worriedly.

“He’ll be fine. Thank you for dinner.”

Yami went outside with Kaiba, who was now down by the Ferrari parked at the lot. As Yugi watched, Kaiba sneezed again. Yami went up to him and asked for the keys to drive home, as Kaiba was sneezing too much. Kaiba held the keys out to him angrily and got into the passenger seat. Yami gave Yugi a rueful look over the top of the car as he went around to the driver’s side, then got in and they drove off.

Yugi turned back into the apartment and shut the door. Joey was cleaning up the drinks glasses from the coffee table and Yugi was surprised to see he wasn’t laughing. He would have thought Joey would have found the situation hilarious.

“I hope he’ll be okay,” Yugi said as he started doing the dishes.

Joey grunted. “You heard Yami, he’ll be fine. I’m more worried about him tearing Yami’s head off. Kaiba knows he likes cats.”

“Yami knows Kaiba is allergic,” Yugi pointed out. He sighed. “Yami didn’t mean any harm. Kaiba will know that.”

Joey snorted derisively. 

The pair of them did the dishes and then Yugi got on the phone and called the manor while Joey headed into the bathroom for a shower.

“Seto is fine,” Yami said when the butler had given the phone to him. “He took his medication and will soon stop sneezing.”

“Is he upset at you?” Yugi asked tentatively.

“He’s Seto, of course he is. It’ll be fine, Yugi.”

Yugi hesitated, but knew that Yami knew Kaiba better than he did. His darkness seemed entirely unconcerned with Kaiba’s temper and, knowing Yami, that was entirely the case. So, he said good night and then prepared for bed. 

******

Yugi was walking down a gloomy hallway, lit only by moonlight streaming in through a window at the far end. It was partially open, night wind stirring the almost gossamer curtains. The wallpaper was vertical stripes of maroon or brown surrounded by thinner stripes of some lighter color that might have been yellow. The carpet below his feet might have been green. Every few feet in the ceiling was a glass-globe light fixture, but there were all off. All along the walls were doors, but they were shut. Something was written on them, but he couldn’t make it out.

There was one door that was open. It was at the far end of the hallway, on the right, next to the open window. Indirect light was glowing faintly, as white as the moonlight, but from a manmade source.

Yugi slowly approached the door. Inside, he could hear voices and what sounded like machinery of some kind. Whatever was being said was muffled and distorted in a way that wasn’t just distance. 

Yugi reached out and tried to push the door open all the way, but the chain was threaded and he couldn’t get it open more than a few inches. Another door with a full length mirror was against the left-hand wall, giving him almost a full reflection of the room within. What was blocking the door appeared to be a double-sized bed pushed at a careless angle. A nightstand with an unlit lamp still stood against the wall where the head of the bed was now canted at a forty-five degree angle to it. Just the edge of another doorway was visible in the mirror, but Yugi could see enough of rounded porcelain and white tile to assume it was a bathroom. The indirect white electric lighting was spilling out of there. 

In the center of the bedroom was some strange something that looked like a dentist’s chair, complete with the articulated arm that ended on a mirrored light, the rinsing station, and a tray for tools. It was dirty and stained and part of the headrest padding was ripped. 

A feature that didn’t come standard was a set of buckled straps on the arm rests and what looked like a camera having replaced the mirrored light. Strapped in to the chair was a woman who was mostly back-to the mirror Yugi was looking at, her black hair spilling over the headrest. She was kicking wildly, her screams strangely distorted. In front of her was a man in a dental surgeon’s outfit, his face obscured by cap and mask. Gloved hands were holding a dentist’s drill and the smock of his surgeon’s gown was stained with something dark.

“Now, now,” he said in a teasing voice. “Hold still. This is a very delicate procedure.”

The whine of the drill competed with the girl’s screams as it was lowered to her face. Yugi found himself frozen in horror as the drill made contact and the pitch of screams changed from fright to pain. 

“Stop!” Yugi cried.

The dentist didn’t react. The drill was withdrawn, turned off, and laid on the tray, the drill bit smeared with blood. The dentist picked up what looked like a hooked pair of pliers.

“Such a stubborn cavity,” he said as he turned back. “I’m afraid the tooth is going to have to come out.”

The girl’s distorted screams were garbled further as she started sobbing. The dentist grabbed her chin with one gloved hand, then lowered the pliers. A vicious twist and yank heralded the tooth coming out with a fresh screech from the victim.

“Stop! Leave her alone! Stop!” 

Again, the dentist paid no attention to Yugi. He didn’t seem to hear him.

Yugi looked wildly along the hall, but there was no one to help. He tried to push the door open enough to get in, but the chain link held firm. 

The drill was taken up again. “Now for the next one,” the dentist said. “Maybe this upper one will be more cooperative.”

The screaming girl was still trying to kick, but the narrow seat of the dentist’s chair and the straps pinning her wrists gave her no ability to twist and the dentist at her side was out of range. The dentist held the drill with both hands and angled it at her upper jaw.

The drill went into her mouth. Yugi cringed at the pitch-change as it hit tooth. 

This time the dentist didn’t grab her chin. The girl shook her head wildly back and forth and drill appeared to slip off the tooth. Blood sprayed across the dentist’s face and neck and the girl’s scream was the worse yet. The drill skidded up, then abruptly sank forward, jerking the dentist down. The girl’s scream cut off into a choking gurgle, then quit. The dentist turned off the drill and pulled it back. It was clotted with gore.

The girl was still. 

“Well, now, see what you did?” the dentist asked as he tossed the drill onto the table. “We were going for an extraction of a tooth, not an eyeball.”

Harrumphing to himself, the dentist took off the gloves and tossed them indifferently into the sink. As Yugi watched, helpless, the dentist reached up to the arm mounted camera and pulled it down, getting a close-up shot of his victim. Then he turned around towards the one corner of the room Yugi couldn’t see, removing his mask as he did so. 

“Ready for her close up, Mr. DeMille,” the dentist said, then uttered an insane giggle.

He pulled something into view. It looked like a TV on wheels.

“Well? What do you think?”

He turned the TV as if he was having his victim review her own mangled face. The TV was now in view of the mirror’s reflection and Yugi saw that the drill had skidded up from the girl’s upper jaw, chewing through her lip and up her cheek until it had sunk into her eye socket. Gore slid sluggishly down her face, blood dripping into her mouth that was still forced open by a jaw clamp, her other eye staring sightlessly up at the camera above.

It was Daisy.

Yugi started screaming.

“Yug’! Yugi! Wake up!”

Hands grasped Yugi’s shoulders. He thrashed, screaming as the terrible vision in front of him suddenly broke apart and vanished into black. His eyes were closed. He opened them.

Onto Joey’s worried face. Joey was leaning over him in bed, shaking his shoulders, the nightstand lamp on behind him. 

Yugi cut his scream into panicked gasps, sitting up. He was in bed, his pajamas sticking to his body with sweat, his legs tangled in the sheets. 

“You were having a nightmare,” Joey said. “Shhh, it’s okay, you’re at home.”

Yugi was beginning to get his breathing under control. He raised his hand to his face and realized he was crying. He sniffled and bent over his legs, clutching the twisted sheets. Joey put his arm around him, his other hand pushing Yugi’s bangs back, though they just fell back into position.

“Yug’, it was just a nightmare,” Joey said soothingly. 

“It was Daisy,” Yugi said shakily. 

“What?”

Yugi told him the nightmare. Joey hummed sympathetically and pulled Yugi more into his arms, stroking his back. 

“Just a nightmare,” he repeated. He sighed and said, “I never should have made you do this.”

“Wh-What?” Yugi was completely lost by that train of thought.

“The movie. You hate horror movies, now you’re in one. And it’s giving you nightmares. Yugi, I’m sorry, I never should have--”

“But you didn’t do anything.”

“I made a promise to Erica without even asking you. Then I made a big deal of it. Come on, you didn’t say yes for any reason other than to make me happy. It’s my fault. Tomorrow, we’ll go down to the set and tell Erica you need out. She’s had people not make it through before and so she’ll have to rewrite it, so what? Done that before--”

“No.”

“What?”

Yugi pulled back and looked up at him. “Joey, I made a promise. I signed a contract.”

“Well, yeah, but--”

“I won’t let Erica, you, and everyone else down just because I hate horror movies. You said it yourself, it was just a nightmare.” Yugi sucked in a breath and let it out. Just sitting here talking to Joey, safe beside him in their bed, had already calmed him down. “It’s fine, Joey, really. You didn’t make me do anything. I don’t want to ruin the movie just because I have nightmares. I’ll be fine.”

Joey looked at him intently for a few minutes, then smiled. “If you’re sure.”

“Yes.”

Joey pulled Yugi back into his arms and laid back down. He reached over and turned off the lamp, then started stroking Yugi’s hair. “You know what’s weird? That nightmare was Daisy having a spike in her eye, just like you said on the bus.”

Yugi winced slightly at the mention reminding him of how it had looked. How real it had looked. But all he said was, “You know dreams are just mixes of what you see and hear.”

“Yeah, but maybe that’ll be the way the movie is. You know you have prophetic dreams sometimes, Yug’.”

That was true. Yugi did sometimes have dreams that predicted the future, or told him something he couldn’t know, like when he had dreamed of Grandpa and the Kaiba brothers in their soul cards, or Alexander’s Seven-Armed Fiend hurting Yami before they’d ever knew they were going to India, or Anubis possessing Kaiba. The idea had bad associations and this didn’t make him feel better.

“Yeah, maybe so.”

tbc...

A/N: I actually like Capsule Monsters and Pyramid of Light...


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen:

Sunday saw them back at the set. Joey had, of course, let his boss know what was happening, and had his schedule rearranged. Now he worked his shifts of ten hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays starting that week, having to stay at twenty hours to keep his job, while they did the movie on every other day. This meant he was working seven days a week, which worried Yugi, but Joey didn’t care. 

“We only work nine to four on the movie. I’ll be able to get some sleep when I get home, before we head for the set, then I have every evening off I don’t work at the warehouse. I’ll be fine.”

Yugi, of course, had his cashier Ami, and he could do the rest of the business work whenever he wanted. 

Joey and Yugi were required to check in at the hotel, where they officially signed in and out for the day, the employee records kept by a busy and unfriendly woman who they learned refused to keep “some dirty old trailer” as her base of operations. Then they were bussed en masse to the set with the other actors.

Daisy wasn’t there that day. The woman who ran the office, who as far as Yugi knew hadn’t even ever told them her name, merely shrugged disinterestedly at their questions. 

“Erica says they did her part Saturday. Only had the small part, remember? Must have got it done in one day. I’ll be mailing out her check Monday. She’s done, so what’s the point in having her around?”

Nadia was genuinely upset by the news, but Mark pointed out that the officer manager was right; Daisy’s part was the shortest, and it wouldn’t make sense to keep paying to have her keep coming out. 

Yami had come, once again brought along by Tristan, who also ferried Tea. Nadia introduced them to her younger sister Delia, who had the same red hair. Mark had brought his girlfriend Sarah. 

This time, they started at the gas station after being roughed up by the make up artists. Sota nailed his part with the fake blood capsule in one take and Erica praised him so much he was grinning broadly as he headed to his next mark in the diner.

Now came Yugi’s scene with Rin. Everyone else was in the main diner, setting up for the part afterwards, while Yugi and Rin stood in the men’s room, waiting for their cue. Yami, unseen in the diner, was consistently sending Yugi a feeling of reassurance, though their link was closed otherwise to keep Yugi from being distracted. 

Yugi tried hard to tell himself to pretend he was going to be talking to Joey like they’d practiced, though that immediately made him flash on him and Joey having sex. 

“I am so nervous,” Rin said suddenly, catching Yugi’s attention. 

“M-Me, too,” Yugi said.

“But I’m glad it’s you my character is flirting with,” she went on. “You’re so nice, you really make me feel better.”

Surprised, Yugi didn’t know what say. 

“I think I can get through this with you.”

Yugi offered her a shy smile and she grinned back. Then they were called to take their marks and Yugi walked over to the yellow X in front of the sinks. Taking a deep breath, he briefly closed his eyes and repeated to himself that it was fake and he could do it.

For three takes, he couldn’t. He forgot his lines entirely twice, ripped the paper towel used to dry his hands, kept looking everywhere but at Rin, and was just awful and wooden while blushing furiously throughout. They didn’t even get to the part where she touched him. Eventually, Erica came over.

“Yugi--”

“I’m sorry!” Yugi burst out. “I’m really nervous, and--”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay,” Rin said. “It’s just like playing a game. And everyone else is out there--” She gestured towards the main diner. “--and can’t see us at all. That is how *I* managed to do this, knowing that.”

“That gives me an idea,” Erica said. “Yugi, this is an uncomplicated scene. We’ll static-mount the cameras and then leave. It’ll be just you and Rin. Run through it by yourselves a time or two until you feel better. Then we’ll use whatever take we like best. Would that be okay?”

Erica was so kind trying to accommodate an idiot like him, and so was Rin trying to encourage him. Though it was the fact that he was fake-flirting with Rin that was making him so awkward, the idea that no one else would see him try until it was all over seemed like it might be a good one. So the cameramen mounted the cameras, checked the sight lines to make sure they didn’t overlap, then everyone else left the bathroom.

The fourth and fifth attempts, Yugi remembered all of his lines, but still sounded awful. He looked everywhere but at her when she came up towards him and was still blushing. On the sixth fail, he sighed harshly and said, “I wonder if they can write it so Sota’s your boyfriend. He’d do better than me.”

“Who says?” Rin asked. “Come on, Yugi, you’re fine. One more time, okay? So the third time wasn’t your charm. Maybe the seventh, you’ll get lucky.”

As he looked up at her, she grinned wickedly, and then started giggling so merrily that Yugi found himself joining in. And, amazingly, that look she had given him reminded him of Joey so fiercely that the awkwardness melted away a little, though not entirely. 

Taking another deep breath, Yugi turned backed to the sinks while Rin moved out of the cameras’ lines of sight. She waited patiently while he stood in front of the sinks, unmoving, fortifying himself. At last, he looked up at himself and saw his blush was gone. 

The seventh time was lucky. Yugi sounded more natural, remembered all of his lines, nailed all of the actions, met Rin’s gaze, and left the bathroom without tripping. Out in the little alcove where the bathrooms were kept, he said his part with Sota without missing a beat. 

“You did great!” Rin said once Erica had called cut. 

Of course, Erica and Kevin had to review the footage to make sure it was what they wanted, and Yugi stood and watched apprehensively while they did. Tearing the paper towel made Kevin laugh, but his laugh was as cheerful as Rin’s had been, and Yugi didn’t feel put out. It was kind of funny. Yugi hadn’t realized just how terribly wide his eyes were. He looked like there had been a gun on him, not a camera.

Rin’s pep talk made Erica smile at her and her joke made them all laugh. Then Yugi watched as he much more calmly accepted Rin’s flirtation. He was amazed to see himself even grin winningly when he passed Rin on the way out of the bathroom, as if Jason was totally cool with Yuki’s come on.

“Perfect!” Erica said. 

“I like it,” Kevin agreed. “Put that one in the can.”

Yugi didn’t know what that meant, but he was relieved that it had passed. And the fact that no one but the four of them had seen made him feel even better.

Out in the diner, he elbowed Joey in the gut when he waggled his eyebrows at him.

******

“So, Ms--Erica, the lady at the office told us that Daisy isn’t coming back,” Nadia said once everyone was assembled out in the main diner. “That her part’s done.”

“Oh, it’s done,” Erica agreed. “But that doesn’t mean she isn’t coming back. Not right now, no, not while we’re so busy, but you’ll see her at the after party and the premiere.”

Nadia was cheered by this. “Oh, that’s right, she gave me her phone number! I have it in my purse. I’ll call her and ask her how--”

“Just so long as you don’t give her any info on what else is happening,” Erica cut across. “Remember, only those who are in the scenes know what’s going on. That includes other cast mates. Now, we really need to get a move on.” 

The rest of the scene for that day was pretty much just moving the plot along. Jason insisted that his group take Yuki and Akira to the Cherrywood Inn so that they could get a room, since cell service was out of the question and the pay phones hadn’t worked in years. He was backed up by Nicole against Adam and Akihito, and unbeknownst to them, their fate was sealed. The group got in the Camaro and headed off. 

The scene was complicated, with extras playing one disinterested frumpy waitress/cashier, six rough-looking truckers, the fry cook, and one young couple who got up and left almost as soon as their group sat down. That, combined with fixing the cut on Joey’s cheek that he accidentally almost washed off cleaning up, and getting fed by Candy, meant it took all of the rest of the day to get it right. By the time they had run through was probably the twelfth take, Yugi was tired of it. So this was movie-making? How did actors do this for a living?

/You’re probably not even going to want to watch every day,/ Yugi said to Yami as they waited for the reset to try their thirteenth attempt. /This has to be boring./

//It is…repetitive,// Yami agreed. 

Twice more saw them get enough of it right at different times at least that Erica proclaimed they could edit it into a great scene. 

“Finally!” Sota said, then covered his mouth.

Erica grinned. “I told you you’d be doing things over and over again. All right, boys and girls. See you tomorrow.”

However, before they left, Erica stopped their group. “Tristan, Tea, Yami, I wanted to speak with you for a minute.”

“We’ve been quiet,” Tristan said immediately, clearly afraid she was going to boot them.

Erica smiled. “I know that. Actually, I was wanted to know if you’d be interested being signed up for some bit parts.”

“YES!” Tristan said immediately. 

“Uh…” Yami clearly looked uncomfortable.

“I’d like to, but I have my dance troupe,” Tea said. “We start practice again Wednesday.” And then, clearly trying to rescue Yami, she lied and said, “Yami promised he’d be driving me.”

Yami looked grateful. Erica didn’t notice, because she focused on Tristan.

“Okay. Cara back at the hotel will get you set up with the contract and everything. You won’t be used until the second Act, so I expect you to just be a spectator for another two weeks or so.”

“That’s fine. Thank you, Ms. Lynch--”

“Erica.”

“--thank you so much!”

“Copy cat,” Joey said with a smile.

Erica laughed and said, “Isn’t that one of your cards?” At Joey’s jaw drop, she said, “Hey, since all of you have seen my work, I had to research yours. Now hurry on and get back to the hotel before Cara leaves for the day. You don’t want to trouble her any, she tends to be grumpy.”

That was an understatement. 

Back at the hotel, Nadia was still there, rummaging around in her purse with a frown. After Yugi had signed out for the day, he turned to her. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just can’t find the piece of paper with Daisy’s phone number. Since we weren’t allowed to have our cell phones, she just wrote it down for me, and I forgot to add it to my contacts. Now I can’t find it!” She shoved everything back into her purse and turned to Cara. “What was Daisy’s last name? I’ll look her up in the phone book.”

“I’d have to look up that up in her employment record,” Cara said. “That’s private.”

“What, but it would just be--”

“Employee records are confidential.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything private, just her last--”

“I don’t know it off the top of my head, and so if I have to pull out the file, that means it’s out where someone who doesn’t need to see it could see it.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Joey said.

Cara glared at him, shoving the pen and contract over to Tristan. Nadia sighed.

“Then can you look it up when we’re not here and tell me tomorrow?”

“Maybe I’ll remember,” Cara said. “You’re out for the day.”

While everyone stared at Cara in disbelief, Nadia sniffed and left after saying goodbye to everyone by name, pointedly not including Cara. Tristan, not paying attention to the drama, looked at his contract with hardly a glance before signing it. 

“Employment record,” Cara said, handing the packet over that she’d had everyone else fill out. “Everyone else leave while he--”

“You didn’t care when Yug’ and I were in the room together when we filled ours out,” Joey said, clearly willing to push the matter.

“Marie told me you two are boyfriends, as if I would care. If you don’t know each others’ names by now, it’s probably not going to work out.”

Yugi was astounded by her rudeness. As Joey and Tea both geared up for a verbal fight, Yami and Yugi drew them away. There was no point and Tristan had to fill out his employment record to get signed up, something that was obviously important to him. 

“What a bitch!” Joey snarled out in the hall. He didn’t bother to lower his voice any, though with the heavy office door closed, there was no knowing if she could hear.

“We don’t know--”

“Yug’, I love that you see the best in everyone, but stop trying. Some people are just assholes.”

“She was totally rude,” Tea agreed. 

“Should use your Puzzle, Yami,” Joey grumbled. 

“I’m afraid rudeness, no matter how extreme, doesn’t warrant a Shadow Game, Joey,” Yami said dryly. 

“Hmph.”

Tristan was out about ten minutes later, absolutely gleeful. He playfully told Joey that he wasn’t so special anymore and that when Erica saw him act, she’d probably want to switch their roles. Joey got him in a headlock and they went down the hall, arguing and shoving each other the whole way. 

/Yami, how is Kaiba?/ Yugi asked as he, Yami, and Tea followed the other two.

//Fine, Yugi. He was back to work an hour after his sneezing stopped.//

/I suppose this means he’ll be less interested in coming over for dinner. Since he had such fun this time./

Yami smiled. //I doubt either of our lovers will be displeased with that development.//

Yugi snickered. 

tbc...


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen:

The rest of the week passed easily. By Friday, they had all of Act One complete. The group of six had made it to the Inn, found out it was abandoned, and decided to spend the night before heading in to town three hours away. Adam had loudly declared that three hours more was nothing to him, but as a storm was brewing--Yugi kept his opinion that this was a terrible cliché to himself--Jason and Nicole argued that it was much safer to stay the night than brave the dark in the rain in a Camaro that was still damaged. Jason’s level-headedness won out over Adam’s hotheadedness and they all unloaded their luggage and prepared to camp. 

Having a “rain machine” was exactly what it sounded like, throwing cold water on them for the scene involving them scrambling to get their luggage and make the front door, and was far from pleasant. Which was probably why they all managed to do it perfectly on only the second take.

Once in the Inn, Akihito started trying to spook Nicole and Yuki and the Act ended.

“All right, Sunday, come out to the hotel and we’ll get you your second Acts,” Erica said at the end of the day. “No filming that day. We’ll be going over some preparations for the scenes, answering any questions, handing out new costumes. Though me and Kevin have so much to do to get set up that it’ll be a short day. I expect to have you all gone by noon.”

“Can we see some of the finished scenes?” Joey asked. “Please?”

“Maybe. If we have time.”

At the hotel, Nadia hung up her cell phone and looked disappointed. Tea saw and asked what was wrong. 

“Daisy. I’ve never been able to get a hold of her.”

“How’d you find her number?” Joey asked. “Cara sure didn’t tell you.”

Cara was entering their punch-out info into her computer and didn’t so much as look up at Joey’s words. 

The group left the office and headed down the hall to the front doors. “I found my paper scrap. I really wanted to be friends. I’ve left a couple of messages, but she’s never called me back.”

“You and me could do something,” Tea said. “Leave all these boys for a while.”

Nadia laughed. “Want to see the new Sweethearts?”

“Oh, ugh,” Sota groaned. “Please tell me you don’t like that.”

“I wouldn’t have asked her to see it if I didn’t.”

“I love that series,” Tea said. 

“I’d’ve asked Rin if she’d stuck around.”

Rin and Ishio had both left the instant they punched out. 

“How can you like Sweethearts?” Sota asked. “It’s the cheesiest--”

“It’s cute!”

“It’s cheesy romance!”

“Have you even seen any of them?” Nadia challenged.

“No.”

“Then how can--”

“Seen the trailers. Tell me it’s not cheese. Enough for a whole…cauldron of macaroni!”

As everyone laughed, Mark shook his head. “They’re not that bad.”

“You’ve seen them?!”

“You’ll be seeing plenty of rom-coms yourself when you get a girlfriend.”

“No way. No.” Sota shook his head forcefully. “Never. Rom-coms? Not even for a girlfriend. Any girlfriend of mine’s got to like action movies and horror.”

“Good luck getting a girl with no expectation of compromise,” Mark said, with maybe a touch of condescension.

“What compromise? I’ll find me a girl who doesn’t like rom-coms. I bet they exist.”

“Yeah, in your imagination.”

“Serenity doesn’t like rom-coms,” Joey said. 

Yugi didn’t miss the stiffness of Tristan’s smile at the mention of Serenity. Sota insisted that trying to date a woman who had a brother was just asking for trouble, Mark told him that his list of requirements meant he wouldn’t find a woman outside of comic books, Tea and Nadia headed off to make the movie, and Mark and Sota were still arguing when Joey, Tristan, and Yugi headed for Tristan’s car to go home. Yami wasn’t with them that time. He was in Tokyo with Kaiba, who had gone to the capitol for some sort of convention of Japanese businessmen.

“How is Serenity?” Tristan asked as he drove. His voice was probably not as off-hand as he thought it was.

“Taking photography classes,” Joey said. “I’m supposed to meet her next weekend. We’re going to go bowling. Yug’s going. Come along.”

Yugi, sitting in the backseat, held his tongue against telling Joey what a bad idea that was. Serenity had made it pretty clear that she wasn’t interested in Tristan. Or Duke. Why, he didn’t know, but it had been made clear. Setting up what was almost a double-date could be a disaster.

“I’ll think about it,” Tristan said.

******

Yugi picked up the phone as it rang, glancing at the clock. Ten pm.

He wasn’t surprised to feel a sense of dread as he answered. There had been no other calls or anything from whatever creep had broken in, but that could change.

Only it was Joey. 

“Hey, Spiky.” Joey’s voice sounded sullen.

“Hi, Joey. What’s wrong?”

Joey sighed heavily over the phone. “Brandon got his dumb ass fired, finally, and Akira asked me to help pick up the slack.”

For a second, Yugi stupidly thought he meant Ishio’s character, then remembered Akira was one of the two foremen in the warehouse and Joey’s boss. 

“He wants me to stay until six.”

“In the morning?!”

“Yes, obviously in the morning, Yug’.”

Yugi didn’t even care about Joey’s tone. He sounded harassed and temperamental and Yugi knew he hadn’t meant it. “Oh, Joey, you’re going to be so tired.”

“I’ll be fine. Sorry I snapped. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Are you going to be safe coming home? If you need me to come get you, you let me know.”

Joey chuckled thinly over the phone. “I promise. Don’t wait up all night worrying about me. Go to bed.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Yug’. I gotta go. See you in the morning.”

******

When Yugi woke, faint dawn light was filtering in from the open window and a chilly breeze ruffled the curtains. Yugi hugged himself and shivered. It had been unseasonably warm over the weekend and he’d left the window open when he went to bed, enjoying the fresh air, but apparently the predicted cold front for Monday had arrived a day early.

Yugi climbed out of bed, glancing at the clock as he did so. Six twenty-eight am. Joey would be home in just a few minutes. How he was going to be able to stay awake for their day at the hotel going over the second Act at nine was beyond Yugi. He decided to put on a pot of strong coffee. At least it was a short day, thankfully. 

Drawing down the window, he latched it, then started as he saw movement in the reflection of the glass.

“Hi, Joey, I’m glad you’re ho--”

His voice died in his throat as he turned around.

It wasn’t Joey standing at the foot of the bed.

A thin man in what looked like a ski mask grinned at him. As Yugi opened his mouth to yell, the man ran at him around the bed. Yugi tried to scramble across it, but he was much too slow. He was tackled, shoved into the mattress. He tried again to yell and a gloved hand clamped over his face. Instantly he couldn’t breathe and started to struggle. The man’s other hand pressed against his upper back, forcing him down into the mattress while he sat on Yugi’s legs. The hand left his back and seized his left wrist, wrenching his arm behind his back. He tried to push against the mattress with the other that was caught beneath his breastbone, but he had no leverage as the assailant leaned on him.

Yugi’s lungs burned. The hand over his face was cruelly compressed over his mouth and pinching his nose shut. He thrashed, shaking his head, trying to dislodge the hand enough to breathe. He managed to free his other hand from between his body and the mattress, then reached up and grabbed the thumb, wrenching it back as hard as he could. There was a cry of pain and the hand loosened. Yugi sucked in a sweet breath of fresh air.

The fist slammed into the side of his head, causing light to flash behind his eyes, but the blow had been more glancing than it could have been. Yugi reached out with his free hand and grabbed the edge of the mattress, trying to pull himself out from under his attacker. And then just as the man leaned forward to grab his wrist, Yugi took the opportunity to elbow him in the head. 

His own blow hit the man’s ear and he yelled again, clutching his ear and leaning to the side. Yugi managed to buck him off and wrench his arm from his grasp. He scrambled across the bed, falling right off and landing on the floor. He made his feet as the man came after him and got to the doorway, but the man had longer legs. He caught Yugi on the landing. Yugi’s scream was cut off as the man shoved him into the wall. His nose struck the drywall and began to bleed. Brighter lights flashed in front of his eyes and his consciousness slanted.

The attacker twisted Yugi around. He was able to gain himself back enough to kick, which missed, but pissed the attacker off. Holding both of his arms and crushing him to him, the man dragged Yugi across the landing. Yugi saw just a quarter of the man’s bared-teeth grin.

Then the attacker threw him down the stairs.

tbc...


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen:

Somehow, Yugi managed to grab the railing with his left hand. He made a strange sort of arc over the stairs and slammed his back into the railing, which knocked his hold loose, but slowed all of his momentum. Instead of banging backwards down the stairs and breaking his neck, he was now a quarter of the way down and perpendicular to them when he hit butt first. His arm was wrenched as his grip came loose and pain jarred up his spine. He skidded over the edge of the riser, hit the next on his hip, and then managed to shove both hands down on the next stair and stop his descent. On his hip on the stair, legs dangling down, gripping the railing post with his right hand, he didn’t even hesitate. He heaved himself, got his feet under him, and stood, then went running down the stairs as fast as he could, clutching the railing with both hands and almost falling again anyway.

The stairs creaked as the man came after him, but Yugi made the ground first and ran for the front door. He yanked it open and plunged out into the early morning, looking behind him as he went.

He slammed headlong into Joey. 

“Ow! Fuck, Yug--What? What’s wrong? What happened?!”

Yugi goggled at Joey for a second, hardly able to believe his eyes, then clutched at him. His breath was sobbing in and out of his lungs and he could taste blood. He nearly collapsed and Joey held him up, face white.

“Yugi! What happened?! You’re bleeding!”

“In the…house…” Yugi managed to gasp. “Man…”

“What?!” Joey started for the front door and Yugi held on with a death grip.

“No!”

Joey stopped to keep from pulling Yugi off his feet. He held him, trying to pull Yugi’s hands off his shirt. His left felt weak and the shoulder of that arm hurt so badly now.

“Yug’, let go, I’ve gotta--”

“No! No!” Yugi held on, terrified. The man hadn’t come out, so he had to be in there. If Joey went in, Yugi didn’t know what could happen. The man could have a gun or a knife. Just because Yugi hadn’t seen one didn’t mean anything. 

Joey looked at his frightened face and his instant rage softened a little. He held Yugi close, glaring at the apartment door as he drew Yugi further back, towards the parking lot at the base of the walkway where their cars were.

“What’s going on?” It was the next door neighbor, peering out of her own apartment.

“Call the cops!” Yugi cried. 

The door slammed. Joey pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed for an ambulance. He was now up against the side of his car, holding Yugi in his arms, still watching the apartment. Yugi buried his face in Joey’s chest and started to shake as nerves caught up and adrenaline burned off.

“It’s okay,” Joey said automatically. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

Yugi raised his head, barely registering the blood smeared all over Joey’s shirt, and looked at the apartment. No one had come out, but there was the back door. Out back, there was no fence, just the brick wall that surrounded the complex the next block over. The man could have left by the back door, walked down the long combination yard, then hit the street. Theirs was an end apartment and there were seven other units before the row ended. Another bank of units formed a capital L with it, blocking the street that was behind those. He could have made the sidewalk and they never would have seen him from this vantage point.

Ten minutes later, the cops arrived. Yugi and Joey were still standing against Joey’s car, Yugi steadfastly refusing to allow Joey to have him sit down in the passenger seat, steadfastly refusing to let go of him in case he tried to go back into the apartment. Once the cops arrived, Yugi told them what had happened. There were two officers in the car and they told Joey and Yugi to stay put before breaching the apartment with guns drawn. Yugi could faintly hear them calling for the attacker to show himself, but nothing else happened. A couple minutes later, the ambulance arrived. One of the EMTs looked Yugi over while the other confirmed with Joey the source of the blood on his shirt.

The cops came out, saying they found no one, and called for a crime unit. The EMTs put Yugi into a stretcher, though he didn’t really need one, and got him in back. Joey sat up front with the driver and they headed to Domino General. 

At the hospital, Yugi was admitted and X-Rayed, but he didn’t have any broken bones. However, his left wrist and left shoulder were both sprained, bruises were blossoming over his buttocks, shoulder blades, right hip, right bicep, and right side from striking the stairs and railing. His nose was not broken, but was swelling even after the blood had stopped flowing. A bruise was blooming on his chin, which he hadn’t even felt hit the wall just after his nose did. His bottom lip had mashed back against his teeth and was swelling, though it hadn’t split. The blow to his head had left the point of contact tender, but he didn’t have a scalp injury and no concussion. His left arm was immobilized in a brace and sling and he was given some pain meds and cleaned up. 

“You will need to keep from moving your arm for one to two weeks,” the ER doctor informed him. “Keep it in the brace and sling at all times, even in the shower. I want you to put this ice pad on the shoulder for fifteen minutes every two hours for at least the next three days while you’re awake. Put a dish towel between it and your skin. Keep your sling on under your shirts, and you’ll have to have button-ups until the sling comes off. If the swelling has gone down in three days, I want you to switch to using the heating pad on low also for fifteen minutes every two hours. No sudden movements. No lifting.”

Yugi nodded dully. He wasn’t exactly high on the morphine given to him while his arm was being manipulated to test the extent of the injury, but it plus the shock was making him pretty detached.

“Sleep either on your back or up at an angle with pillows keeping the arm even with your body so it’s not at an angle and being weighed on by gravity. If the pain worsens, you can’t move your joint at all, or you feel coolness or tingling in the arm after the ice pack is off for more than ten minutes, come back here immediately. If there is any discoloration or the arm goes numb, call an ambulance. Otherwise, I want to see you back in two weeks.”

Yugi nodded again. The doctor brought Joey in, who immediately came to sit on the bed. The doctor paused for a second as he saw Joey take Yugi’s uninjured hand in both of his, then added, “No sex.” 

“Got it,” Joey said.

“He can be discharged. Do you have a way home?”

“Yeah, friend’s out in the waiting room.”

The doctor nodded and left. Joey didn’t immediately try to get Yugi out of bed. Instead, he stared him intently. “Yugi?”

Yugi managed a smile. 

“Everyone is out in the waitin’ room. Yami said he’s having us stay at the manor. Cops want me to come check the place out, see what was stolen or broke. I don’t want to leave you, but they’re insisting. Landlord and insurance agent are there, too. I’m gonna get you to Yami, then T’s gonna take me back to our place.”

Yugi clutched at Joey’s hand. “No. What if--”

“He’s gone, Yug’. And the cops are still there. There’s gonna be like six people there. I’m just gonna tell them the damage, grab some stuff for both of us, then come back. Stay with Yami. I’ll be back in no time.”

Yugi knew he was being irrational. He nodded and loosened his grip. Joey kissed him gently at the corner of his mouth, then helped him up. A nurse had come in and she supervised putting Yugi in a wheelchair, as it was hospital policy to have all patients wheeled out, then got him the forms to sign for release.

Tea, Tristan, Yami, Serenity, Ryou, and Yugi’s mother were all out in the waiting room. Mrs. Moto, Tea, and Serenity made a huge fuss, Ryou and Tristan bombarded Joey with questions, and Yami stood stony-faced. 

//Aibou, are you okay?//

/I’m going to be fine. A couple of sprains and some bruises. Nothing broken./

Yugi felt the anger in Yami ripple. The Puzzle’s eye flickered. 

/I’m fine, Yami. Really./

“I want to get Yugi home,” Yami said, clearly meaning his own home. “Now. Let him rest.”

“He can come to the Shop--” Mrs. Moto started.

“I have room for Joey and Yugi both. And it’s closer. He’s coming to the manor.”

“We’ll come, too,” Tea said, clearly not intending to brook any argument. 

Yami didn’t argue, but once they were at the manor and Yugi was settled painfully into a spare bed, Joey, Tristan, and Serenity headed for the apartment. Serenity would not allow Joey to go without her, as irrational as Yugi had been. Mrs. Moto and Tea helped Yugi affix the ice packet to his shoulder while Yami called for tea and water. Ryou fluffed a pillow and they got it under Yugi’s arm.

“What’s going on?” Kaiba asked as he came into the room. He raised an eyebrow at Yugi.

“Aibou was attacked in his apartment,” Yami said. “The man escaped. He and Joey are staying here until I say otherwise.”

Kaiba didn’t even seem to care he wasn’t being asked. He studied Yugi for a second, then grunted. “The head butler is Ichiro, the head maid is Kanna. They’ll get you whatever you need.”

He left without another word. Yami went with him, maybe to make arrangements. 

“He didn’t even ask if you were okay,” Tea said with disgust.

“You know he wouldn’t,” Yugi said tiredly. “He didn’t argue with Yami, though.”

“Who would when Yami has that look on his face?” Ryou asked. “He looked like he’d send anyone to the Shadow Realm who dared said no.”

Yugi only shook his head. He was too tired to try to make them see that Kaiba wasn’t so bad. Not arguing with Yami had been his way of showing he cared, at least about what Yami wanted. 

“Sweetheart, what do you need?” Mrs. Moto asked. She hadn’t let go of Yugi’s good hand since they’d gotten him settled in the bed.

“Nothing,” Yugi said. “Really, Mom, I don’t want anything.” The truth. “I’m fine.” A lie. 

Mrs. Moto smoothed back Yugi’s hair with one hand and kept hold of his with the other. 

Yugi forced himself to stay awake until Joey returned with Tristan and Serenity. He announced that nothing had been taken and the only damage was a dent in the drywall and a crack in the stairs hand railing. Both made by Yugi being thrown into them. The anger in Yami burned even hotter, but Yugi said nothing. 

Joey had two suitcases and a storage box stuffed with their clothes, toiletries, the Isis statue, their wallets and keys, their Decks and Duel Discs, the book Yugi was reading that had been on the nightstand, Joey’s lap top, and their cell phones. Serenity and Tea helped him unpack. By then, it was clear that Joey was dead tired as well. He was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. Yugi estimated he’d been awake for almost thirty hours. Serenity noticed and ushered everyone out. Mrs. Moto went with extreme reluctance, but she encouraged Yugi to sleep as well before going.

The spare room had two beds, like a hotel room. Yugi didn’t know if it always been like that or if Yami had had it set up that way while he was in the hospital, but it was clear he and Joey wouldn’t be sharing a bed for at least a few days. It was for the best. It would keep Joey from moving and landing on Yugi’s arm.

“Yug’, are you sure you’re okay?”

Yugi nodded his head. He was so exhausted, drained, that he wanted to do nothing but sleep. Joey looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he gently squeezed Yugi’s closest ankle, then crawled into the next bed.

Despite his exhaustion, Yugi lay awake, even as he heard Joey begin to snore. He looked up at the ceiling of the semi-darkened room, his thoughts in a whirl. 

What were they going to do now? Returning to the apartment was out of the question. The situation had escalated from a prank to assault. Whatever the man’s goal was, he’d try again. Maybe immediately, so sure that no one would be expecting it, or maybe later, when their guard was down. Yugi didn’t know what he wanted either. But surely he had been intending to murder him. 

Tears welled in Yugi’s eyes and he choked back a sob. He didn’t want to wake Joey. He was fine, he was fine, he was fine. 

Yami was suddenly in his mind. He said nothing, but instead did the mental equivalent of gathering Yugi into a hug. It wasn’t exactly the same as when they had shared a body, where they actually had spirit forms that could interact in their Soul rooms. That had felt no different than being in physical bodies to Yugi at the time. This was less substantial, but still welcome. Yugi curled into the sensation. Yami held him until his tremors stopped and his tears dried. 

He didn’t know if Yami pressed his mind into sleep, but he drifted away just the same.

tbc...


	20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty:

When Yugi woke, it was dark, and his mother was sitting in a chair next to his bed. He was so disoriented for a second that he tried to sit up and cried out in pain as he pressed down on his left shoulder.

“Don’t move, Sweetheart,” Mrs. Moto said, turning on the lamp and leaning over him. 

“Mom. Um, what are you doing here?”

“Yami has me set up across the hall,” Mrs. Moto said. “So I could be here.”

Yugi smiled tiredly with affection for his darkness and his mother. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” his mother said simply. “So please stop saying that. Your father is here, too, but he’s back at the Shop--”

“Dad’s here?” Yugi was genuinely surprised.

He didn’t miss the shadow that crossed his mother’s face, but all she said was, “Of course he is. I called him the minute I heard and he was on the next available flight. He’s getting me some more things from home, then he’ll be back.”

Yugi nodded. He loved his father, but Mr. Moto wasn’t exactly the family type. So, he was surprised, and touched, that his father had come home. 

“Where’s Joey?” Yugi asked he looked at the empty bed across the room.

“Downstairs having dinner with everyone else. I insisted. I didn’t know how long you would be sleeping or when was the last time he ate. It’s after seven-thirty. I want you to eat something, too.”

“Yeah, I can go down--”

“No, no. Maybe tomorrow, but for tonight, I want you to stay in bed. Here.” She picked up what looked like a serving tray from a serving cart Yugi hadn’t noticed by the door. She laid it over Yugi’s lap and lifted the lid. It was a large bowl of beef nikujaga, a hunk of some sort of artisan bread, and a smaller dishes of white rice and sliced fruit. Mrs. Moto went back to the cart, then returned with a cup of hot green tea that she set on the nightstand next to the cup of water from earlier.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, Sweetheart.”

She left the room. Yugi ate his meal, realizing that he was famished. At least he was right-handed. He was finishing his fruit when Joey came up. He was dressed, still looking tired, but not as worn down as before. He came over and sat down on the edge of the bed. He moved the tray that Yugi couldn’t from his lap to the nightstand. 

“How do you feel?”

“Fine.” Realizing he was saying that word too much, Yugi added, “Sore.”

“Gonna find out who did it, Yug’--”

“Joey, don’t. Please don’t.”

Joey looked at him, then leaned over with his palm braced on the bed on the other side of Yugi’s hips, pushed back his bangs with his free hand, and kissed his forehead. Then he rested his own forehead against Yugi’s, eyes closed. 

“Tell me what happened. Everything.”

Knowing what Joey meant, Yugi took his free hand in his and squeezed his fingers. He told him everything that did happen, ignoring the way Joey’s fingers clamped down on his as he tried to keep his temper in check. Once he was done, Joey at last opened his eyes and leaned back a little.

“The landlord offered to change the locks. Or break our lease if we forfeit the deposit. Which do you want to do, Yug’?”

Yugi only shook his head wearily again. He didn’t want to make decisions right then. “I don’t know.”

Joey nodded, sat up straight, and reached for the bottle of ibuprofen on the nightstand. The doctor hadn’t prescribed anything stronger than that and Yugi was sure it would be sufficient. He took a couple of the pills from Joey and swallowed some more water.

“Get some more sleep,” Joey urged. “I called Erica and let her know. She wishes you well and said take all the time you need. Called Akira, too. Sleep some more, Spiky, I’ll be right here.”

Belly full, pain little more than an annoying throb, Joey’s thumb rubbing his knuckles, Yugi did drift off again.

******

Over the next few days, Yugi was thoroughly doted on by Joey, his mother, and Yami, even though he insisted he could do everything himself. Tea, Serenity, Tristan, and Ryou had all spent that first night, then returned to their own places, but Mrs. Moto wanted to stay on until Yugi’s sling came off. It was as if he really had broken his neck, but he couldn’t blame her.

His dad was still in Domino. Mr. Moto was about as different from his son as it was possible to be. He was about Joey’s height, very broad, and while he had the Moto violet eyes and gold lightning-bolt bangs, his all-black spikes lay flat like Mokuba’s hair. He was quiet and serious, not very friendly or family-oriented, though his relief that Yugi was not badly injured was obvious. 

He’d come up once to spend a quiet, awkward hour with Yugi the morning after Yugi had been set up in the Kaiba Manor. He had taken over Yugi’s work at the Shop for the time being, and soon went back there to greet the cashier and introduce himself. Yugi hadn’t seen him since.

The man who had broken in was of course never found. There was nothing to go on, no DNA, no one else had seen him. 

For the first few days, Yugi didn’t even leave the second-floor guest-suite Yami had set up. The pain in his sprained shoulder and wrist was pretty bad every time he so much as shifted and his bruised muscles had stiffened up by the morning after the attack. Yugi kept to the recommended dose of ibuprofen pretty much by sheer force of will, and Mrs. Moto was fanatical about changing the ice packs on time. Yami had Yugi’s meals delivered to him by the Kaiba staff and he, Joey, and Yugi’s mother pretty much didn’t leave his side for a minute.

Eventually, though, the pain became tolerable and on the fourth day of recovery, Yugi insisted on taking breakfast downstairs with everyone else. His mother was worried.

“Sweetheart, we can go back to your room,” she said as she and Joey hovered over him when he was at the top of the stairs leading to the ground floor. “If you’re not ready--”

“I’m okay, Mom.” Yugi looked up at her.

She looked worried, but she didn’t say anything more. Yugi turned back to the stairs and started down them. His mother and Joey paced him, but didn’t try to stop him. 

“Nothing keeps Yug’ down,” Joey said as they walked. 

Yugi made it to the bottom without incident and took a deep breath. He’d faced a lot worse than this, and he was not going to let that man take his life from him, in any sense. He looked up at the other two and smiled. For the first time that week, his smile felt wholly genuine. He still didn’t know if he wanted to go back to that apartment, but he wasn’t going to hide.

In the dining room, Kaiba was at his place at the head of the table, reading a newspaper, Mokuba on his right and already started on breakfast. Yami came in through the doors that led into the kitchens and immediately came over.

“Are you okay, Yugi?”

“Yes.” Yugi looked over his shoulder. “Kaiba, thank you for letting us stay here.”

Kaiba’s eyes flicked up at him, then back down to his newspaper. “Yami invited you.”

//He is being grumpy, Aibou,// Yami said. //He never once complained.//

/Ryou says he knows better. That you’ll send him to the Shadow Realm if he tries./

Yami’s mouth quirked. //There is that.//

Mokuba also asked after Yugi’s health while Joey pulled out Yugi’s chair. Joey’s glare went ignored by their host. The other four settled down to breakfast. Yugi knew that Kaiba’s callousness was genuine, but not the whole story. He was well aware of Yami’s temper and powers and neither had ever stopped him from speaking his mind before. He hadn’t invited them, and probably wouldn’t have, but he hadn’t protested their presence because he wanted Yami to be happy. 

On Friday, Sota, Rin, Mark, and Nadia arrived to check on Yugi. Through Erica, they had all been made aware of Yugi’s assault, but had stayed away to give him some time to heal. Now they all piled in the massive sitting room of the manor, joined by Tristan, Tea, Serenity, and Ryou, who had come to visit almost every day themselves. 

“Movie’s on hold,” Sota said as he munched on some snacks delivered by one of the maids. “We filmed a couple things out of order the two of you weren’t in, but we’re caught up now.”

Yugi felt guilty, even though he knew he shouldn’t. “My sling should come off Tuesday. I can be back next week.”

“Don’t rush,” Rin said. “Erica says the important thing is that you’re okay. You are okay, right?”

Smiling at her concern, Yugi nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“Did you ever get hold of Daisy?” Tea asked Nadia.

“Sort of. We’ve been texting. She says she’s out of minutes. We made plans to get dinner tomorrow. Want to come?”

“Oh, I can’t. We have a performance.” Tea’s dance troupe would be staying another six weeks for performances before heading on to Moscow. 

Sota turned to Ryou. “So, Ryou, I’ve been wanting to ask, my little brother’s really into Duel Monsters and he has a fiend deck. Where did you get Dark Necrofear and Destiny Board? When you played them against Yugi at Battle City, that was super cool.”

Ryou got even paler and stammered. “Oh, um… m-my dad got them for me…”

Of course it had been Bakura who had played those cards. Hastily taking the attention off his friend and the bad memories associated, Yugi said, “They’re really rare, Sota. And they’re harder to use than they’re worth. Five turns for Destiny Board to take effect and removing from play three Fiend monsters to summon Dark Necrofear with only 2200 Attack Points? Those almost never pan out. You saw.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’d have to take advice from the King of Games, right?”

Yugi smiled awkwardly. Joey jumped in on turning the conversation away from Ryou.

“Hey, Sota, did Erica give you guys the second Acts?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, she did. She’d given them out while we were waiting for you guys. You know, since we didn’t know… Anyway, yours are probably in the office.”

“Ugh, I’ll have to deal with Cara.”

“We’ll go together, Joey, and I’ll talk to her,” Yugi said. 

“Ah, not that important.” He was trying to take any responsibility off Yugi while he was healing. “Anything cool?” he added to Sota.

“Ha, yeah!”

“Don’t spoil it,” Rin admonished.

“No, spoil it,” Joey urged. “Nobody here will leak anything, promise.”

“I get done in,” Nadia said. 

“Oh, no, really?” Yugi asked.

“Yep. Towards the end.” She grinned broadly and said with a strange sort of pride, “I get skinned.”

“Oh, gross,” Joey said happily. 

Yugi winced. These were the sort of things he hated about horror movies and that Joey loved. He noticed that Tea, Ryou, Yami, Serenity, and Rin also looked as turned off as he did, while Sota, Tristan, Joey, Nadia, and Mark were fascinated. 

“I’m pretty sure I get axed, too,” Sota said. “Maybe literally. My character disappears before Nadia’s--she goes to find me and gets taken by the killer--and all that’s left is blood and a notch in the wall. You know, like an axe makes in a tree trunk.”

“What about the rest of us?” Joey asked.

“Make it to the end at least.”

“Where do I come in?” Tristan asked.

“A few pages in.”

“Yeah, you’re the caretaker of the abandoned inn,” Nadia said. “You find all of us wandering around and we persuade you to let us wait out the storm. Maybe you’re the killer,” she added with a grin.

“Oh, that would be so sweet!”

“Where’s Mark in all this?” Joey asked, turning to the man himself.

“Dunno yet,” Mark admitted. “I haven’t shown up at all. My Acts tell me my name is Thomas, but I’m just a spectator so far.”

“Maybe you’re the killer,” Joey said.

“That would be awesome, but I don’t think so. I think Erica and Kevin have something different in mind.”

tbc...

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One:

The next day was Saturday. Joey had been intending to cancel the bowling trip with Serenity, but Yugi insisted there was no need. He couldn’t play, but he could enjoy watching them compete. Tristan did not come, and Tea had her performance in Kyoto, while Yami had had a date night with Kaiba. 

“Wonder what on earth a date with Kaiba could be like?” Joey mused while they drove to the bowling alley. It lay almost between the manor and Serenity’s off-campus apartment, so it was just the two of them in the car.

“I would guess like any other couples’,” Yugi said pointedly.

Joey snorted. “Yeah, I can see Kaiba going to the movies or out for ice cream.”

“They’re flying the helicopter to Sapporo to eat at Hyousetsu no Mon and then to the Sapporo Museum because Yami wants to see a Woolly Mammoth.” Yugi chuckled. “So, like other couples, but fancy.”

Joey grunted. “Moneybags wouldn’t settle for less, I bet.”

“I think Mou Hitori no Boku has some pretty expensive tastes, too, actually.” Yugi smiled affectionately. 

At the bowling alley, Yugi watched and cheered as both Wheeler siblings bowled. Joey went obviously easy on his sister, who repaid him by bowling five strikes in a row. Clearly shocked, Joey struggled to catch up, but his misplaced chivalry cost him and Serenity gleefully won with a two-twelve.

“I joined a bowling league at school,” she said. “Did I forget to mention that?”

Joey growled good-naturedly and ceased taking it easy. He won the next game with two-forty-eight to Serenity’s two-twenty-nine, then won the third two-fifty-six to two-thirty-seven. Serenity then evened the score to a tie by beating Joey’s two-sixty-two with an astounding two-seventy-four.

“Wow,” Yugi said. “That team of yours must be so glad to have you.”

Serenity smiled modestly. “It was Joey who taught me how to bowl in the first place.”

“You definitely got better yourself,” Joey said. “You couldn’t break two hundred when we played.”

“When your arm is better, Yugi, we should do this again.”

Yugi laughed and shook his head. “I played as good today as I would without the sling.”

Joey glared at him. He never did like self-depreciation, especially from Yugi. Still, Yugi knew he definitely wouldn’t be cracking two-hundred himself. Sports never had been the games he was good at.

******

Thanks to the care Yugi received from his loved ones, he healed on schedule and had his sling off on Tuesday. He was still sore and was to remain on an ibuprofen regimen with exercises intended to loosen up his damaged ligaments, but could move his shoulder and wrist their full ranges of motion. So, Thursday saw him, Joey, and Tristan joining their fellow cast-mates at the Inn.

“Yugi, I’m so glad to see you,” Erica said when they arrived. “How are you doing, honey?”

“I’m good, Erica, thank you. I’m sorry--”

“Don’t apologize! Why should you apologize for being assaulted? Don’t worry about production, what matters is that you’re okay. I’d like to get my hands on whoever broke into your apartment,” she added, said hands clenching on her clipboard. 

Kevin came over at that moment. “Yugi. Good to see you back. Are you going to be okay with getting back into the swing of things?”

“Yes.” The truth was, Yugi was still far from excited about finishing the movie, but he was determined to see his promise through. At least they were about half-way finished. 

“Yugi, I want you to know, I’m taking care of all your medical expenses,” Erica said.

“Oh, you don’t have to--”

“It’s done. Just show your bills to Cara when you get a chance and she’ll get it settled.”

There was that tendency toward getting her way Kevin had mentioned. Yugi wanted to protest some more, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Erica was just trying to be nice. She was much kinder than Yugi had ever considered. Why was she a horror movie director?

Kevin got them back to business. “Well, if you’re up for getting back to it, head on over to Marie’s. You got your scripts from Cara?” 

Joey held up his. They’d visited the crotchety office manager on Monday. Unsurprisingly, she hadn’t mentioned Yugi’s injuries once, had handed over the scripts to Joey without looking at him, and told them to let her get back to work if they didn’t have any other unnecessary delays for her. Yugi had put his good hand over Joey’s mouth while he thanked her. 

“Good. Marie won’t have much for you this time, since your characters got cleaned up and changed last time you were here, so if you’re hungry, Candy can get you some food before you head on over to the set. We’ll be starting with you lot meeting Tristan’s character for some more set up. I don’t expect we’ll do much more than that today.”

Tristan, Joey, and Yugi went to the make up trailer, where Yugi was briefly fussed over by Marie and Joanna before they got started on the makeup. There was little to do besides use the partition to change clothes then allow the makeup ladies to add the powder and much smaller, bloodless cuts to Yugi’s and Joey’s faces that signified their cleaned-up injuries. Yugi thought real cuts would have continued to bleed for far longer, but it was a movie and sometimes authenticity gave way to practicality. 

They were finished in around half an hour, but filming was set to start at ten, so with a little less than thirty minutes left, they opted not to go to Candy’s and headed instead to the Inn. 

For the first part of the week, since they’d gotten their scripts, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan had practiced their lines with each other. Yami had even helped out by reading the rest of the characters’ lines, in such a flat, monotone manner that it was funny. If acting was not one of Yugi’s strengths, it was far and away not one of Yami’s. 

The second Act was about as awful as Yugi had been dreading. After about a third of it set up them meeting Tristan’s character Stefan and being allowed to stay at the Inn until the weather cleared, it devolved into the dark, gory tale it had been leading up to. It started with over-the-shoulder shots of a mysterious man watching their group through the windows. As Tristan’s character was in some of those shots, this sure-to-be-the-killer character was not him. Once the tension had been established, alleviated somewhat by Akihito’s teasing of the women, an unimaginative power outage plunged the whole Inn into darkness. Tristan’s character located flashlights and candles and the group split off into rooms to try to get some sleep. With more horror-typical scares and tropes, Nadia and Sota met their fates. The Act ended with the characters of Yugi, Joey, Ishio, and Rin finding Nadia’s skinned body in the kitchen. 

Yugi was so not looking forward to filming that scene. 

What was almost as bad, in terms of discomfort for Yugi, was that his and Rin’s and Joey’s and Nadia’s characters all had sex scenes. They didn’t read particularly hardcore, but Yugi had felt the blood drain out of face when he first got to that part. Joey, too, was no longer as confident about his role in the movie. These were scenes they had both adamantly skipped when asking Yami to read for them.

“Okay,” Joey said to him that night when they’d retired for bed. Yugi had healed enough that they were sharing again, which was a relief. “So, you know, we oughta talk to Erica, about… Well, those scenes.”

“Yeah,” Yugi sighed. “I had hoped I could get by without asking her to change anything for me, but I just don’t think I can do that.”

“Me either,” Joey admitted. “Nadia’s nice, she’s cute, but…” He trailed off, clearly unable to formulate his thought, but Yugi understood. 

It’s wasn’t like Yugi was all that surprised about the inclusion of those scenes. Horror and sex were often paired together, much to Yugi’s confusion, and he’d watched Lynch movies with Joey before. Still, not having sex scenes in a horror movie was not unheard of, not even for Erica, so he hoped she’d take it well. 

“We need to decide what we’re going to do about the apartment, Yug’,” Joey said. “I mean, manager isn’t going to care where we’re staying as long as we pay the rent, but--”

“It’s a waste of money,” Yugi agreed. Of course, now that they were being paid for the movie, money didn’t matter as much for the short term. But it was still a waste. “What do you want to do?”

Joey considered. Finally, he said, “First the calls, and then two break-ins.”

Only, it turned out, neither had really been break-ins. The police couldn’t figure it out, but there had been no sign of forced entry. The only damage to the place was the around the stairs. Yugi knew he had locked both the front and back doors before he’d gone to bed, but admitted he could have been mistaken. Still, it was unlikely someone had just come up and tried the door. It had been targeted, for one reason or other. 

“My keys,” Yugi said suddenly. “When I lost them. Someone must have seen and took them. And recognized me and found out where I lived.” Yugi shivered. That was definitely one of the many downsides to any sort of fame. 

“But they were behind the stand,” Joey protested. 

“Unless, whoever took them made a copy and gave mine back, so I wouldn’t change the locks. Only they fell off the hook. And then he waited until you weren’t home.”

“That son of a bitch,” Joey snarled. “If I ever get my hands on him…”

Of course, it had been over a week from the time Yugi noticed his keys missing to the attack, but Yugi was over at the Game Shop often and Joey had only been gone overnight the once. Still, why had the man waited until almost dawn? Something didn’t add up, but Yugi was now sure; this hadn’t been a random anything.

“We should find another place,” he decided. “Just to be safe. Even if I didn’t want to, Mom is really against the idea of us staying there again.”

“It’s for the best,” Joey said. “I’d like to see that asshole try again, I’ll kill him, but I’m not going to make you the bait.”

Yugi smiled with weary affection. He knew Joey meant it, and that worried him. Which was a reason he hadn’t voiced to Joey that he wanted to find another place; if the man tried again, Joey wouldn’t hesitate to go after him, and could wind up hurt or worse. 

“We’ll start looking tomorrow,” Yugi said. “I’ll check with Kaiba that it’s okay for us to stay for a bit longer.”

Joey snorted. “Yami’ll tell him--”

“It’s his house, Joey, not Yami’s.”

Joey grunted. “It’s like they’re married anyway.”

Yugi smiled, but knew he’d ask Kaiba directly. 

tbc...


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Yugi didn’t get a chance to talk to Kaiba until Saturday evening. He followed the buzz of Yami’s presence up to Kaiba’s home office, figuring that if they weren’t together, then Yami would know where he was. 

He knocked, but there was no answer. A second knock still didn’t get an answer. Hesitantly, Yugi opened the door and peered around the edge. Kaiba was sitting in his office chair, facing back to the door and looking out over the backyard. Yami wasn’t in sight. 

“Hi, Kaiba,” Yugi said as he stepped into the office. “Um, sorry to bother you--”

“Now’s not a good time,” Kaiba said shortly.

“Sorry. It’ll just take a minute--”

“Leave.”

“But--”

He broke off without interruption this time, because he’d just seen movement in front of Kaiba. Spiky hair rose into sight over the desk top. Yami had been kneeling on the floor in front of Kaiba and now he rested his chin in his hand with his elbow on the arm rest, looking very amused.

“Hello, Aibou,” he said with a smirk.

Yugi felt his face burn. He squeaked in horror and turned for the door. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t see anything! I’m sorry!”

He rushed out of the office, hearing Yami’s laughter on his heels. Slamming the door shut, he scurried down the halls and back to his room. Mortified, he buried his face in his hands, making sure his link with Yami was still very firmly closed. Noise at the door made him look up with dread, but it was Joey, carrying his laptop like a book against his ribs and holding a plate of cookies and a can of strawberry-flavored soda pop in his hands. He’d had a half-day at the warehouse, because it was being briefly shut down for some upgrading of machinery, and he had clearly just gotten home.

“Talk to Kaiba?” he asked.

Yugi felt his cheeks burn even more and he cleared his throat. “He was busy.”

Joey didn’t seem to notice his blush. He set the plate and can on the nightstand, then unfolded his laptop and settled down beside him. “Okay, so, I found some places for us to take a look at.”

Yugi gratefully allowed himself to be distracted by apartment listings.

******

The next day, Yugi avoided going to breakfast until he was sure Kaiba was gone for the day. Unsurprisingly, he went into Kaiba Corp practically every day, despite the fact it was Sunday. However, Yami was coming out to the set again for lack of anything better to do, so Yugi very reluctantly came face to face with him. As he’d expected, Yami was still laughing.

//Don’t worry, Yugi, I told Seto not to be upset with you.//

As if that would stop him. /I’m really sorry, Yami, I shouldn’t have come in./

//Accidents happen. Though I’ll make sure the lock the door next time. What did you want to speak to him about?//

/Something that could have waited,/ Yugi said sourly. He glared at Yami’s grin. /I was going to ask him if it’s okay if Joey and I stay with you for a little longer. We’re moving out of that apartment and getting a new place./

//Of course it’s okay.//

/I just wanted to ask him because it’s his house and I didn’t want to assume--/

Yami smiled at him. //You are kind, Aibou, but I do mean it’s okay. Seto doesn’t care. He has more than enough room. Plenty even to dodge Joey.//

Yugi laughed, though he still wanted to make sure that Yami wasn’t just speaking for Kaiba. Probably he even actually didn’t care, as the brunette was not nearly the same borderline-villainous man he’d used to be. Yami had seen to that, in more ways than one.

This was the day that Tristan was finally going to actually be used on set. The previous few days had seen them redoing the initial exploration of the Inn over and over until Yugi could probably say everyone’s lines, not just his own. Certainly, when this was over, he was never going to be looking to get into show business. 

Tristan, it turned out, was adept at acting. He had memorized his lines and nailed every emotion and gesture. Joey was clearly astounded, and it was clear Tristan was doing better than all of them, but Joey was a good sport and congratulated him. Erica and Kevin, too, had nothing but praise. 

As the day passed, Yugi wondered how he could possibly bring up to Erica that he wanted the sex scene with Rin removed. He also wondered if Rin’s feelings would be hurt. She was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, but was not in the least stuck-up. Nadia also might be hurt that Joey was trying to duck out of their scene. From the way she acted around him, Yugi strongly suspected Nadia was developing a crush. Joey, being Joey, seemed oblivious.

To his surprise, Erica called wrap at only two in the afternoon. They’d completed Tristan’s introduction and the supper scenes, but they worked until four. However, when Erica gathered them all together, it was to inform them that she was going to allow them to watch some of their filmed scenes, as Joey had asked for before. With half the cast thrilled and the other half resigned, they gathered back at the hotel’s base of operations in the conference room to watch. Yami was the only non cast-member, but he was allowed to stay without even a question from Erica.

/You don’t have to watch,/ Yugi reminded him.

//I know. Horror movies are terrible, but it’s important to Joey and he’s my friend.//

Yugi smiled and turned to the TV. It looked like the type on wheels found in old classrooms, but it was more modern than it looked. It was hooked up to an expensive laptop sitting on the conference table. Erica typed some buttons and the TV started playing the file from the laptop. 

The film was surprisingly generic-looking and a timestamp scrolled continuously in the bottom right corner. Yugi hadn’t realized just how much editing work went into a movie after the filming was done.

They watched the crash scene. Even without any big effects, it was well done. He watched with surprise at how good the six of them seemed to be. Already a little editing had happened and the interior shots of the crash looked realistic. Yugi watched himself bang off the dashboard and Joey hit the steering wheel. Spliced together with the recommencement of filming after they’d been to makeup, they came up with bloody wounds and Yugi thought it looked quite real. It would look even more so once the special effects team had been at it.

The scene continued all the way to heading for the diner before it faded away to black. Erica paused the TV and grinned at them. “What do you think?”

“It’s awesome!” Joey exclaimed.

“Wow, it looked so real,” Nadia said. “Wait ‘til we get to the deaths!”

“We already have one. You guys want to see Daisy’s scene?”

“Yes!” Joey, Tristan, Mark, and Sota said together. Yugi really wished they hadn’t.

Erica turned to the equipment and started setting it up to switch scenes. Yugi noted that Nadia hadn’t said yes with the boys. She looked a little put-out, staring at her hands on the table. Rin noticed as well.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just… Daisy flaked on me. She didn’t show up for dinner last week and hasn’t responded to me since. I don’t know, I guess I’m just mad and don’t want to see her face right now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe she has a good reason.”

Nadia sighed. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Even if she doesn’t, you don’t have to see her again,” Sota said. “She’s won’t be here anymore.”

“I just didn’t think she’d be that type of person,” Nadia said. “I thought she seemed real nice. I had invited another friend out and we waited like an hour. It was embarrassing and totally rude.”

“Okay, here we go,” Erica said, not seeming having noticed their conversation. 

Sitting in the conference room under dim lighting, Yugi watched as the scene opened up at the hotel. For about twenty minutes, it was generic. Set apparently well before their scenes, a few people milled around the active hotel, indistinct snatches of conversation half-heard from every direction. A taxi pulled up out front and Daisy emerged, pulling a big rolling suitcase out after her and grinning broadly up at the hotel, holding a cell phone to her ear. She then trundled up to the front stairs, speaking into the phone.

“Yeah, I just got here. It’s so beautiful! I can’t wait until you see it tomorrow.”

A man opened the door for Daisy and she went in, saying a quick thank you to him and then continuing her conversation as she paused and looked around the lobby. Like it was genuinely, it was furnished in rich English décor and furnishings, with lots of wood and pale pink. 

“It’s like something out of the 1800s,” she said into the phone. 

Yugi thought her delivery was a little stilted, despite her big smile, but hardly a bad performance for all the worry she’d had that day. He could see why Nadia was hurt over her actions. Daisy had seemed so sweet and shy. He wondered if they’d read her wrong and she was the type to amuse herself playing games with others. Yet if that was the case, she acted far better in real life than she did on camera.

The scene continued through a short sign-in and smash cuts to Daisy making her way to her room on the second floor. A brief review over the small, but plush bedroom and Daisy smiling happily at the view from the window. Then the scene changed to Daisy speaking with the concierge about the hotel’s entertainment. While she did that, the camera pulled back, the conversation fading away, until part of the body of a man came into view, mostly off camera, but seen from about his bicep to his knee. His hand appeared to bear a ring.

The scene changed again to Daisy outside, walking among the trees beginning to get their fall colors. The camera appeared to be on the wraparound porch out back. As Daisy, almost too tiny to see very clearly, reached up to pluck a late-blooming cherry blossom that the hotel got its name from, a man’s hand suddenly appeared and gripped the railing of the porch. Sure enough, a ring was on his middle finger. It looked like a heavy silver ring with a skull carved into it. Tiny rubies glittered in the eye sockets and a long gold tongue stuck obscenely out of the parted teeth. Yugi wondered if Joey would soon have another ring. 

With the obvious establishment of danger for Daisy’s character, the movie didn’t play around and the next scene was night. Daisy was lying in bed, reading a book by lamplight, still dressed. She reached for a glass on the nightstand, which was empty, and appeared to be annoyed to find that out. The previous review of the hotel had shown the old-fashioned rooms had no fridge or microwave, so Daisy set aside her book, got out of bed, and headed out of the room.

In the kitchen, which was far bigger and more modern than the original house the hotel used to be would have had, was empty. Daisy called for any staff, but there was silence. Looking around, uncertain, she then shrugged and went across to the fridge, pulling out a jug of what looked like sweet tea. The camera was close on her and it cleverly spun when she turned away from the fridge, so they saw when she did the man suddenly standing a foot behind her.

Yugi jumped along with Daisy and he wasn’t the only one. He heard Rin, Nadia, and Sota make noises and Nadia then giggled happily. 

On screen, Daisy dropped the jug of sweet tea. It hit the tile floor and clattered, but was made of plastic and didn’t break. The man stooped to pick it up and Yugi saw it was one of the characters who had been in the background, a hotel employee. He had a name badge on his shirt.

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.

Daisy, hand pressed to her heart, laughed shakily. Yugi felt guilty for thinking it sounded awful. “Sorry! I was thirsty and there was no one--”

“I was back with Nancy in the laundry room, finishing up the day’s wash.” He held the jug out. “We heard you, but--”

“That’s okay.” Daisy took the jug and turned to her glass on the counter. She filled it up quickly and returned the jug to the fridge. 

“Breakfast’s six to nine. You have a good night.”

Daisy smiled and scooted from the kitchen. The employee looked after her, then turned back to the other door that left from the kitchen. It turned out to be another that led to the back porch, which was mostly dark. In the light of the kitchen, the man slipped out and turned to a woman standing almost entirely hidden.

“She didn’t notice,” he said.

The woman, presumably Nancy, reached out and put her hand on his chest. “Good.”

She grabbed a handful of shirt and pulled the man toward her. In the dim lighting, nothing much could be seen, but it was clear the two started making out. However, the scene didn’t linger with them and instead cut to following Daisy down the second floor hall to her room.

“Help me,” a tiny voice said from off camera.

Daisy paused, stopping to listen. When nothing else came, she evidently thought she’d imagined it and started walking again.

“Help me,” the voice said again, barely any louder.

Daisy stopped, turned around. The view moved with her again and from her perspective, they all could see that there was a door ajar in one of the rooms in the other hall on the other side of the staircase. The overhead light in that section of the hallway was off and there was a small metal sign that said, “This wing closed” right at the front. A white light was spilling into the dark hall from the open door. At the far end of the hall, a window was open, gossamer curtains stirring in the night breeze.

Yugi felt dread wash over him.

“Hello?” Daisy said in a voice hardly louder than the one that had asked for help. When there was no answer, she got a little louder and said, “Hello? Is someone there?”

“Help me,” the voice pleaded a third time.

Daisy hesitated, then set her tea on a sideboard and went back onto the landing. The group watched as she approached the sign, stopped just in front of it, and stared down the hall. 

“Hello? Are you okay?”

Silence.

Daisy bypassed the sign and crept cautiously down the hall. Maroon-and-cream striped wall paper. Silky white curtains fluttering in the breeze. An ornate mirror over another sideboard on which sat a crystal vase of flowers, a silent music box, and a gilded silver candy dish.

The dread increased in Yugi.

Daisy reached the open door and peeked through the gap. The camera was still in the hall, viewing her profile. Nothing moved and it was silent. Daisy slowly pushed open the door and the camera moved up closer to her. As the door finished swinging open, the camera came up behind Daisy and shot over her shoulder.

The view showed an empty bedroom. A bed without sheets and pillows without cases, an empty nightstand and dresser, a window without curtains.

An old, damaged dentist chair with a camera attached to it.

As Yugi gasped in recognition, Daisy clearly didn’t like what she saw either. She turned away from the room to the hall.

A hand grabbed her arm. As she started to scream, another hand clamped over her mouth. One with a skull ring on the middle finger. With the camera’s viewpoint once again in the hall down a ways from the bedroom, Daisy was yanked through the open door and out of sight.

The scene changed to what appeared to be some minutes later. The camera was in the bedroom now, shooting from by the bed. Daisy was in the dentist chair, strapped down, kicking and squirming. The camera briefly panned over a dentist tray laden with implements, including a drill.

Yugi’s blood felt cold. He started to say something and couldn’t find his voice.

Beside him, Yami looked at him, he could see it out of the corner of his eye. But he didn’t turn his head, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

What followed next was his nightmare. 

tbc...


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

While the others reacted variously, from horrified-yet-fascinated groans from Sota and Nadia to Rin turning completely away to Ishio rudely on his phone, Yugi watched. Watched as the dentist drilled Daisy’s tooth. Watched as he yanked it out with pliers. 

Joey had caught on. His hand came to Yugi’s shoulder and he squeezed. Yami put his hand on Yugi’s other arm. Yugi realized he was clenching his fists. 

//Aibou? Yugi, what’s wrong?//

Yugi watched as the drill skidded up her face and sank into her eye. As everyone around him but Erica, Ishio, Joey, and Yami gasped or squealed, Yugi jerked to his feet. His chair fell over with a bang. Everyone looked up, he could see them staring at him, but he was still watching the screen.

“Yugi?” Erica and Rin questioned at the same time.

Suddenly, he realized it was going differently. No misquoted plagiarized line from an old movie. No TV pulled forward. Although the movie camera of course got a good, lingering shot of Daisy’s brutalized face, the clamp was different from Yugi’s memory and so was Daisy’s shirt. Her mouth had been stuffed with cotton pads, probably to stifle her screams so the other hotel guests wouldn’t hear, whereas in the dream her screams had been piercing. The dentist’s smock had been clean before he’d started on Daisy, and while it was splattered with blood now, it was not as filthy as the one from the nightmare. Also, the dentist was wearing glasses.

The scene went black, but Erica ignored the computer that was running the file. She had crossed the room and turned on the lights just as the scene finished. Everyone was still staring at Yugi, who felt his heart hammering in his chest. 

Joey and Yami had gotten to their feet and were reaching out to Yugi as if to steady him. But already realizing how silly he’d been, Yugi let out an self-conscious laugh. 

“Sorry!”

“Are you okay?” Erica asked, coming over to him.

“Yug’ doesn’t like horror movies,” Joey said.

“Then why’d he decide to be in one?” Ishio asked sneeringly.

“Hey, I don’t like them either and I’m in it,” Rin said. “It’s okay, Yugi, I couldn’t watch it either.”

“It’s fake,” Ishio said in disgust, rolling his eyes. “Stupid, but fake. Grow up.”

Joey rounded on him. “You shut the fuck up, asshole.”

As Ishio gave Joey a condescending smirk, Erica cut in.

“I’ve had it,” she said. “Ishio, you do nothing but bait everyone. Out.” She pointed toward the door. “Out and I’ll talk to you later.”

Ishio rolled his eyes again, got up, and left the room. Erica turned to Yugi. 

“Listen, Yugi, if you can’t--”

“No, I’m fine,” Yugi said quickly. 

“Because this coming just after--”

Knowing she was going to talk about the attack, Yugi shook his head. He felt stupid and embarrassed. Yes, he hated horror movies, and yes, the nightmare had been terrifying, and yes, he’d been assaulted, but he was safe, he was fine. He felt shame roll over him for causing a scene.

“No, really, I mean it. I’m okay. Um, it just surprised me is all, the…the drill.”

Joey knew Yugi was lying and Yami suspected, but Erica searched his face and seemed to believe him. She patted his shoulder and turned to the group. 

“Okay, we’ll stop for the day. It’s almost four anyway. Those of you who aren’t horror movie fans certainly don’t have to watch the footage on any other day we may decide to review it together. Don’t be embarrassed and feel you have to. Now, tomorrow we’re not filming. I’ve got a lot of stuff to do with the distribution studio. Sorry I forgot to say anything. I forgot all about it with all that’s going on. Enjoy your day off and don’t worry, you will be paid.” She sighed heavily. “Now excuse me, I need to go talk to Ishio.”

“Hope she fires that dick,” Joey muttered. Then he looked at Yugi in concern. 

So was just about everyone else, except Sota, who seemed more bemused than anything. Mortified even more, Yugi mumbled a goodbye and turned from the room. Joey, Yami, and Tristan went with him. 

“What’s going on?” Tristan asked as the four of them headed to his car.

Knowing that they wouldn’t let him go without telling them, Yugi sighed and told Yami and Tristan his nightmare. Tristan had no idea Yugi had prophetic dreams and merely whistled at the ‘coincidence’ and how he could see how that would be surprising.

“Don’t worry about it, Yugi,” he said. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

Yami, who knew even more than Joey about Yugi’s visions, having shared his body, spoke to him silently. //Aibou, maybe this really is--//

/No./ Yugi knew he shouldn’t be so vehement about leaving the movie. But he felt stupid. Ugly, gross, upsetting, it was still fake. /It was just a nightmare, Yami. And it has nothing to do with…with the break-in./

//I know it doesn’t. Although that man hurt and scared you, and I will show him not a hint of mercy if I should ever find out who it was, I know that you have not been traumatized if that is what you are worried about. No one more than I knows how strong you are.//

Yami sounded so much like Joey sometimes. No wonder they got along so well. 

/Then you know I can do this. You even told me I can./

//Yes, of course, but--//

/I was just surprised to see my nightmare on the screen. I’m over it now./ That was at least mostly the truth. He still was disgusted, and not eager to see and appear in even more depravity, but definitely over his shock. 

Yami let it go. Throughout their silent conversation, Joey and Tristan had kept giving Yugi encouragement that he had only half understood, but recognized for what it was. He’d responded in a distracted manner, his attention torn between them and Yami, but now he focused fully on them.

“Really, guys, I appreciate it. I’m good.”

******

The next day being what was supposed to be a film day, he and Joey arbitrarily decided to check out some of the apartments they were interested in. Two seemed promising. In fact, one was just two blocks over from the Game Shop, which meant Yugi could even walk back and forth instead of driving. It was also a bit closer to the warehouse than their old one. They decided to apply. 

“We need to start packing,” Yugi said as they left the apartment office. It was just after one in the afternoon. “Maybe even today. Even if we don’t get that apartment, we have the whole day off.”

“And I work every other day,” Joey agreed. 

“That’s true, you haven’t had a full day off since--”

“A week ago last Saturday. You’re not packing up everything all by yourself.” 

Yugi wondered if Joey also just didn’t want him at the apartment alone. He decided not to ask. He couldn’t fault him for his continued concern. 

The landlord had changed the locks some time ago and gotten them new keys. Yugi actually didn’t have his, since they had never left the dresser top in their manor bedroom after Joey had brought them home, but Joey had his on his key ring since they were driving his car, and so they detoured to the old apartment. First, they stopped at Kaiba Corp office, since it wasn’t too far out of their way being in the financial district along with the Kame Game Shop.

Mokuba met them down in the lobby. Yugi told him about their decision to move and asked if Kaiba Corp had any empty boxes they could have.

“Yeah, tons,” Mokuba said. “Office supplies. Hang on, we’ll get you set up.”

‘Set up’ meant thirty-something folded, but usable, boxes being brought down along with two massive packing tape rolls. The boxes came in four different sizes. Yugi thanked Mokuba profusely and he and Joey headed to the apartment.

Yugi was supremely pleased to find he didn’t feel a single ounce of anxiety when they pulled up. He was even feeling a little bit of sadness that they were leaving it. This had been his and Joey’s first apartment. An official couple for about five years, they’d lived here together for three. 

They spent some time building boxes, then split up and started packing. As he worked on the living room closet, Yugi wondered how they’d ended up with all this stuff. When was the last time he’d even worn this jacket? Why did they have a snow shovel when the apartment complex took care of clearing the snow? This lamp didn’t work anymore. That picture frame had never been used.

After what felt like hours, Yugi stood from kneeling by the sideboard by the door, sorting through the collected junk, and popped his back. Grunting, he plodded upstairs to see how Joey was faring.

The hall closet was empty. The vacuum stood beside two boxes filled with cleaning supplies and their bed linens folded with some semblance of neatness. A peek in the spare bedroom showed Joey had stripped the guest bed of its covers and gotten down the two pictures and mirror. The extra alarm clock and the lamp were gone from the nightstand. At least there hadn’t been much in there. 

In their bedroom, Joey was finishing digging out the bathroom linen closet, another box of towels and wash rags at his feet. By the clothes closet and dresser were three boxes filled with clothes and belts. 

“How’d we end up with ten towels?” Joey asked as Yugi came into the bedroom. “When we only have seven washrags? And still, we have seven washrags. There’s only two of us! And why is it an odd number?!”

Yugi snickered. “I know. I was wondering how all the junk downstairs multiplied without us seeing. We have three packs of playing cards.”

“When’s the last time we played a card game that wasn’t Duel Monsters?”

“When we had your twenty-first birthday party, I think.”

Joey dumped the hammer on top of the box of bath linen, then stretched with a groan. “What time is it?” He looked up at the wall clock, realized he’d packed it, then looked at his watch. “After six!”

Yugi sighed. They still had to finish the bathroom, the kitchen, and the pantry. At least the living room and both bedrooms were done. “If we stay a bit longer, we should be able to finish tonight.”

“Yeah.” 

Together, they moved over to the bed and sat down on it. Joey then flopped over on his back with an exaggerated noise of exhaustion. Yugi smiled at him, then looked out over the bedroom. The walls were bare. The closet was empty. The dresser and their nightstands. 

Yugi felt another pang of nostalgia. This was for the best, but he sort of felt like they were running away. As well as leaving a good time of their lives behind. Of course, it didn’t matter where they lived, as long as they were together, but it still was saddening. 

Joey had sat up on his elbow and something must have shown on Yugi’s face, because he reached out and rubbed Yugi’s arm. “You want to change your mind?”

“No. It’s just, we had some good memories here.”

“We did. But don’t worry, Yug’, we’ll make some more at our new place.” Yugi turned to him and smiled. Joey blushed and grunted. “Sap, I know.”

“Yeah, but it’s cute.”

Joey groaned and rolled his eyes. He sat up and scuffed Yugi’s hair. “You’re the one who’s cute, Spiky.” 

Yugi tried to push him and Joey wound an arm around him and scuffed his hair even more. Knowing he now resembled a tangled anemone, Yugi managed to squirm out of Joey’s arm lock, then tried to grab him. The blonde stood up, turned around, then flattened Yugi to the bed and started tickling him. 

“Ahh! Joey, don’t!” Yugi giggled, squirming and kicking.

Joey relented immediately. He bent and kissed Yugi with a smack, then started to get up. Yugi pulled him back and initiated a far more intimate kiss. Joey moaned, his hands going back to Yugi’s sides, but definitely not tickling.

Breaking the kiss, Yugi stood up. He moved in front of Joey and then sank to his knees, sliding his hands up Joey’s thighs. 

“Let’s have one more good memory,” he said.

Joey nodded mutely. Yugi undid his jeans, pushing Joey’s hands away when he went to help, then pulled him out of his boxers. He was half hard and Yugi purred, leaning forward to mouth him. Joey grunted and rested one hand on Yugi’s head. Yugi started little kitten licks he knew always got Joey going. Pushing his boxers down further, Yugi stroked him, feeling him harden and thicken in his hand. He leaned forward again and rubbed the tip of his tongue right where the shaft met his balls and Joey whined. 

Standing up more on his knees, Yugi swallowed Joey down his throat. He remembered the first time he’d shocked Joey to learn he didn’t have much of a gag reflex. Now he bobbed his head along the full length. 

“Nngh. Fuck, Yug’, you’re good at that.”

Yugi hummed and smirked inwardly as Joey groaned obscenely. Running his hands up and down Joey’s legs, Yugi moved his head faster. He felt the hand tighten in his hair and he knew Joey always worried he’d hurt himself. Still humming, he dragged slowly up and Joey arched and slid down onto his forearm. The hand left his hair and Yugi opened his eyes to see Joey’s head tossed back, down on both forearms and his hands grasping the sheet. His shirt was clinging to his chest, which was starting to heave. 

Very much liking that sight, Yugi kept his eyes open as he popped off to breathe and watched as Joey looked down at him. Holding his gaze, hands still on his thighs, Yugi leaned down to run his tongue up his length. Joey’s eyes squeezed shut and his hips jumped. 

“Watch me,” Yugi commanded.

Joey opened his eyes and Yugi stared back up at him as he opened his mouth and slowly took him in again. Joey’s brow furrowed and his teeth showed as he hissed and tried not to buck. Yugi drew back up to the head, flicked his tongue into the slit, then pushed down again, further than before. Joey’s thighs and abs contracted as he jerked against the bed in another stifled thrust. Yugi lifted back up and licked his slit again before sliding down all the way until his nose was pressed to clipped blonde curls. He closed his own eyes then and simply held the position, listening to Joey pant. 

“Fuck,” Joey gasped. “Mm!”

Yugi swallowed around him. Joey was cussing a blue streak, squirming against the bed. The hand returned to Yugi’s hair and threaded through the spikes. Yugi held Joey in his throat until he had to breathe again, then lifted up. 

“Yug’, I want to fuck you,” Joey rasped. 

Yugi pulled off reluctantly. He’d wanted to suck Joey to completion, but getting fucked sounded just as good, so he stood and shucked his shirt. A gasp left his mouth as Joey sat up and yanked him to him, ripping open the fastenings of his pants and shoving them down to his knees. His lips wrapped around Yugi’s cock and Yugi grabbed his shoulders. Joey couldn’t deep throat Yugi himself, but he made up for it by having the most agile tongue. 

“Ahh! Joey, mm, wh-what happened to f-fucking me?”

Joey lifted up and started kissing up Yugi’s stomach. One calloused hand wrapped around his erection while his other arm held him close. Yugi cupped Joey’s head and let his own drop back, his knees getting weak. As Joey’s breath puffed against his skin and his hand jacked him slow and tight, Yugi felt his muscles tensing up. He gasped and pulled Joey’s head back. Bending down, he kissed him hard, relieved and disappointed both when Joey let go to hold both his hips. 

They broke apart and Yugi stepped back to finish kicking off his pants and boxers. Joey stood and shucked his own clothes, then grabbed the lube out of box that held the stuff from his nightstand. He turned around to see that Yugi had got on his hands and knees and was looking at him over his shoulder. Smiling, Yugi wiggled his ass.

Joey growled and leaned over him to kiss him, reaching down to massage his hole. Yugi whined and shivered. Joey trailed lips over his cheek to the soft spot behind his ear. Then he tilted his head and nibbled above the collar Yugi still had on. Yugi heard the cap of the lube and spread his legs a little more. 

A finger slid inside him. Moaning, eyes closed, Yugi rocked back. Soon a second finger joined the first and they scissored, then both rubbed tight and firm over his prostate. Yugi bit his lip to try and smother a cry. Joey was dropping kisses and bites all over his back. He added a third finger, then rotated his wrist and Yugi tossed his head back.

“Please,” Yugi panted. “Joey, please, come on.”

The fingers withdrew and Yugi heard him slicking himself up. Then he was pushing into him, slow and deliberate. Yugi felt every single inch sinking into him and he bit his lip. Hips flush to his ass, Joey thrust and jostled Yugi forward. 

“Oh, god,” Yugi gasped. He dug his hands into the sheets and pushed back even though Joey was as deep as he could get. 

Joey held still, then ground slowly against him, keeping himself to the hilt.

“Joey, please!”

“You’re so tight, Yug’,” Joey said breathlessly. 

He started thrusting, fast and hard from the get-go. Yugi screamed, belatedly covering his mouth, then put both hands back in the sheets and just moaned as Joey pounded him. He was on target with his sweet spot and Yugi was seeing stars in seconds. His erection bobbed between his legs and they both ignored it, Joey clutching Yugi’s hips and Yugi fisting the sheets.

Joey was grunting with every snap of his hips and Yugi let the sound wash over him, just as the pleasure washed through him. The bed creaked a little and then the headboard starting hitting the wall. Desperately hoping their neighbor wasn’t home, Yugi did nothing to stop Joey’s force. 

Yugi pressed his forehead into his forearm, ignoring how musty the sheets were having lain unchanged while they were living at the manor, and curved his back. Every sharp thrust from Joey punched the breath out of him and he felt dizzy. 

His shoulder ached, but he ignored it. 

Joey suddenly slowed down and then slipped out. He turned Yugi over, bending down to kiss him, then pressed back inside. Yugi hooked his legs around his waist, arms around his neck. Joey hugged him tightly, their bodies pressed together. Joey started the rhythm again, building up speed as Yugi moaned into his mouth, trying to raise his hips in counter rhythm. 

Joey brought one hand up and rubbed over Yugi’s chest, then down his stomach until he took him in his fist again and started stroking fast. His thumb rubbed his slit over and over, smearing the precum and sending electric shocks straight to Yugi’s toes. 

“I love you, Yug’,” Joey gasped against his neck. “Come for me. Fuck. Come for me, Yugi!”

Yugi’s back arched and he whined desperately. Joey bit into his neck above his collar and he screamed, spilling over his stomach and Joey’s fist. He could barely hear Joey’s muffled growl over the blood throbbing in his ears, but he definitely felt Joey spill inside him, short, sharp thrusts to his prostate pounding his orgasm higher and higher. He dug his fingers into Joey’s shoulders in a death grip, his scream cutting itself off. 

They slumped in a quivering heap, legs hanging off the bed, Joey half on Yugi, hand trapped between their stomachs, other arm pinned under Yugi’s back, his breath rapid against his neck. Yugi ran his hand down Joey’s sweaty back, slid the other fingers through damp hair.

Joey idly rubbed his thumb along his softening dick and Yugi twitched and hissed at the overstimulation. He felt Joey smile against his neck and he tugged his hair. Joey chuckled tiredly and pulled his hand away, then gathered enough strength to push himself further up onto the bed and drag Yugi up with him. Feet still hanging off, Joey curled into Yugi and nuzzled into his hair. Yugi kissed his shoulder and drifted in the haze of afterglow. 

tbc...


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four:

In the end, they didn’t get finished that night. After sex, they ended up falling asleep for a few hours and woke up after nine. Deciding that they didn’t want to be trying to pack into the wee hours of the morning, and with Joey hungry, they took a quick shower, half-unpacking the bathroom box again, then changed into fresh clothes and left the apartment. They stopped at a fast food restaurant to get some dinner, then headed back to the manor. 

Once there, Yugi told Yami the news, that they would be leaving soon, assuming they were accepted to the apartment. Yami didn’t try to talk him out of it, as Yugi had expected he wouldn’t. Yami understood.

/Still, looks like we’ll have to wait until this weekend. We’re back on schedule for the movie and Joey works at the warehouse almost every day./

//You’re welcome to stay however long,// Yami responded. 

Yugi smiled. He hadn’t seen Seto Kaiba since accidentally barging in on his and Yami’s private time, and he decided to take Yami’s repeated word for it. They’d be out of his house soon enough anyway. If they didn’t get this apartment, there would be plenty of others, if in less favorable areas.

In bed, Joey agreed they should try for that weekend. “So, tomorrow, I’ll ask Akira for a half day on Saturday. T and Serenity both said they’d help us move, and between the four of us, I’m sure we can get it all done. Er, if we get the place.”

“I think we will. We have excellent credit and they know it’s well within our budget, and besides, remember the apartment manager was a Duel Monsters fan?”

Joey laughed. “He about fell out of his chair when he saw you.”

Yugi smiled. So fame really wasn’t for him, but sometimes it had its perks. He felt confident they’d get the apartment.

******

And they did. Tuesday evening, while Yugi was home at the Kame Game Shop, having a goodbye dinner with his dad, who would be returning to his usual business trips that next day, the apartment manager’s wife called to advise they’d been approved and could move on a prorated special that Saturday, which would be October Twenty-Seventh. Yugi told her that would be perfect and thanked her profusely.

“It’s just down the road,” Mrs. Moto said when Yugi told her the news. “That’s good. Not so far out as Kaiba’s place.”

Yugi thought she was a little miffed at Yami for taking over and deciding for everyone that Yugi and Joey would stay with him. Although he’d made sure she could stay herself to see Yugi recovered, there really hadn’t been any reason that Yugi and Joey couldn’t have come to the Kame Game Shop. His family were well aware he and Joey were a couple, and they could have stayed together in Yugi’s old room. 

The truth was, once Yugi had been told his father was staying in Domino for a while, he had opted to stay at the manor, giving his parents time alone. His mother sometimes visited his father while he was on a trip, and his dad would come home in between them, but they rarely saw each other and never for so many days in a row. 

The time together seemed to have gone well. Yugi had caught them whispering to each other, laughing and snuggling, in the kitchen when he came out of the storeroom after taking the day’s inventory. His mom had been feeding his dad one of her baked goods. The sight had made him very happy.

After dinner, Yugi didn’t stay the night. His dad would be leaving at around four in the morning to get his international flight, and so Yugi wanted them to have one last night alone. 

“Yugi.”

Yugi turned at the sound of his dad’s voice, having been just about ready to step out of the Game Shop door. “Yeah, Dad?”

Mr. Moto looked down at him. His eyes didn’t quite meet Yugi’s, but seemed more about centered on Yugi’s bolt bang. “Your arm. How is it?”

Yugi smiled and rolled that shoulder. “Almost normal.”

“Good. You’re still in that movie?”

“Yeah. We’re back on set tomorrow.”

“Tell me when it’s finished. I’ll watch it.”

Yugi nodded. “I will.”

“Is Joey treating you right?”

Surprised by question, Yugi nodded. He’d never been able to pinpoint his dad’s feelings about Yugi’s sexuality. It wasn’t really something you discussed with your parents, even outside of how little he spoke to his father. As far as he knew, his dad didn’t care to acknowledge it.

“Good,” Mr. Moto said again. His eyes briefly went over Yugi’s head, then came back down and focused, looking Yugi directly in the eye. “Take care of yourself, and your mother, Yugi. You… make me proud.”

He reached out and stiffly enfolded Yugi in a hug. Yugi felt tears prickling his eyes as he hugged him back. “I love you.”

Mr. Moto let go and stepped back. He patted Yugi’s right shoulder, now looking more at the wall. “I love you, too.” His eyes briefly ran across Yugi’s gaze, then he turned and headed back into the apartment. 

******

Wednesday morning, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan carpooled back out to the set. They split up to change into their costumes. Now that the costume designer’s assistant’s error had been corrected, there were sets of clothes in their sizes that could be torn and dirtied up without costing any of them their real wardrobe. The choices were not something Yugi typically wore. He felt strange in a powder blue sweater and without his neckbelt. Since the scene in the diner had ended, that had been the last day he’d worn it on set, and he wondered if the audience would notice its sudden absence. But the costume designer had insisted on them all being dressed “normal” as she had put it, perhaps not realizing she was rather insulting Yugi. 

“We want you to be just another Japanese teenager off the street,” she’d said that second week of filming. “Nondescript. Someone the audience can project themselves onto.” 

Yugi almost pointed out his hair was anything but nondescript and that he was twenty-three, but stopped himself. He was afraid she might try to talk Erica into putting a wig on him.

Outside in the cramped hallway of the doublewide trailer that served as the dressing rooms, he found Joey freaking out.

“Oh, god, oh, god, Yug’, I forgot to say anything to Erica! I’m… Me and Nadia…” His face turned cherry red.

Yugi felt his mouth drop open. He’d forgotten, too. They’d finished filming exploring the Inn and retiring to bed, which meant it was time for their sex scenes.

“What are we going to do?” Joey gasped. “This whole day is… those. We can’t just ask her to lose a whole day… the day of! But… But…”

“Got nerves, huh?”

It was Kevin. He’d come aboard the trailer without them noticing. He jerked his chin to indicate they follow him to the end of the trailer and they did. 

“Kevin, I know it’d really put you in a bind, but--”

“We can’t cut them out,” Kevin said flatly. “You don’t have any idea how far that would put us behind. Not just today. We’d have to rewrite them, change the lighting that’s set up, everything. We’d have to bring the writers back on even, and most of them are scattered every which way, thinking they’re done with us for the year. Lots have moved on to other projects. It would be conflicts of schedule and interest.”

“But… can’t you just cut them out? No rewrites, just--”

“That would take an expected ten or fifteen minutes out. Maybe more, maybe less, but still. That doesn’t sound like a lot, and we aren’t expected to have a set runtime, kids, but we have to leave room for post-production editing. What if something else just doesn’t mesh after we’ve seen it filmed? What if down the line someone gets sick or quits or a prop gets broken? Any little thing can cause lots of ripples and this is a pretty big thing. And you might not think about it this way, but audiences come to horror movies for three things, the three Bs of horror: blood, boobs, and bad language.”

“You have movies without… boobs,” Yugi said, feeling his face flame. As he remembered, the scripts didn’t actually even get that far, but the idea itself embarrassed him.

“Uh-huh. And you know what kind those are? The ones that are the goriest. It’s a delicate balance, Yugi. If you take out one, you got to ramp up another. And we’ve got some pretty gory scenes coming up to begin with. Take out the sex, it’s worse blood and worse language, and there’s the rewrites.”

Yugi wasn’t sure he understood that logic. They didn’t have a quota to meet, even unofficially. Erica’s films were all rated-R by American standards, but some were far tamer than others, and still got that rating. He kind of thought Kevin was trying to con them.

“Look, we can’t force you. I’m not even going to do something as mean as give you an ultimatum. But you’re adults here, and you signed up for this, remember? And it’s not that hard. Me and Erica, we’ve both done this before.”

Yugi didn’t remember Kevin being in any movies, but that didn’t really matter.

“It’s not hot at all. You’re running lines and kissing over and over again like any other scene, only you’re naked. Not that you’re naked!” he added, because clearly their feelings had shown on their faces. “No shots from the below the waist in these scenes. Hell, the girls aren’t even front-to. These are nothing, kids, they’re not even softcore.”

“But--” Joey said weakly, clearly trying one last time.

“Here’s how it works. In both of these, the girls are making the first moves. They come in to your rooms, they smile and deliver their lines. Want some company? I’m chilly in my room. Stupid, cheesy stuff. You kiss a few times, lying in bed, you take off your shirts. You’re both guys, you’ve gone shirtless in public at some point, right? The girls are never front-to, so when they take off their own shirts, what the audience can’t see, but you will, is they’re wearing these special stick-on chest cover things. They’re skin-tone, sure, but they look less sexual than a Barbie doll. You kiss a little more, some more stupid lines and fake sex noises--stop looking like that--you roll around a little, and it’s over. Shots out the window or over to the dresser. Bam, done.”

He moved past Yugi and started to head out of the trailer, clearly believing it was settled.

“Oh, and one more thing,” he said, pausing to look over his shoulder. “You want out, you can be the ones to tell those girls you can’t fake hook-up with them. Girls get self-conscious over the littlest things, so, you know, you hurt their feelings if you can’t man up.”

That was doubly sexist. As Joey muttered several unkind things that Yugi heartily agreed with, Kevin left the trailer. 

“Shit,” Joey muttered. He scratched his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Okay. Okay. If we can face down the Shadow Realm and monsters come to life, we can kiss a pretty girl, can’t we?”

Well, when Joey put it that way. 

Probably not.

But what else could Yugi say? Even if Rin did take it well, Kevin was right, as loathe as he was to admit it. It would snowball and he’d tried so hard not to let that happen. And what was a little fake kissing? Kevin was also right; he was an adult and he’d rolled around in the hay with Joey many times. He hadn’t been a virgin since graduation night. If he could do it for real, surely he could fake it.

Maybe.

And, though most people would probably be surprised to learn, Yugi actually did have a sense of pride. He found himself still not wanting to be the one who had to chicken out. Even more so, he didn’t want to risk hurting Rin’s feelings.

“Right,” he said to Joey.

They gave each other sickly smiles.

tbc...


End file.
